The Sun and the Moon
by KarleighAnn
Summary: Bella Swan was facing death when she was saved by her personal Sun. Jacob Black was pinning after a certain brunette for as long as he could remember. For some unknown reason, his imprinting did not happen until she was over her heartbreak. Follow along as Bella and Jacob grow into the wonderful couple that runs the wolf pack.
1. Preface

_**Preface.**_

Staring down at my wedding ring, I smile brightly.

Little did I know just how much I would love this. This feeling of my lover in my arms or vice versa. The heat coming off of him or the sound of his heartbeat when my head lays on his chest. This feeling was something I wouldn't have experienced, had I stayed in the zombie state I was in, pinning after an ex-boyfriend, who left me for dead in the woods.

And who would have thought I would even be alive today to experience this? Certainly not I. There were many times, where I truly thought, I would die.

And it all start seven years ago, from the moment I was saved from an accidental suicide trip to the beach.


	2. Chapter 1 Pressure

**Hello readers! Some of you may know me from my other stories; some may be new faces. It's okay! I just want to share with you a story I found that I wrote many years ago. This was when I loved Jacob (btw I am still team Jacob) but I loved him so much so, I would wish Bella with him. When I was younger, I wrote this story day and night in my notebook. While home for the holidays, I came across it. How bizarre right? This made me want to go back and rewrite it for the world to see! Those of you who are Bella x Jacob be prepared to fall in love. If your Bella x Edward, I'm sorry to break your heart but I hope you give this story a chance!**

The beginning two chapters will be from New Moon. If you would like a refresher, feel free to read! If you feel like you don't need a refresher, when chapter two comes out look where the italicized words stops. That's where my story begins.

*Don't forget to Review at the end*

Without further adieu, **The Sun and the Moon:**

* * *

 _ **Chapter 1. Pressure**_

 _(This chapter will be chapter 15 from New Moon. This portion of the story and the characters belong to Stephenie Meyer. The story line that continues after the cliff in Chapter 2, belongs to me.)_

 _It was spring break in Forks again. When I woke up on Monday morning, I lay in bed for a few seconds absorbing that. Last spring break, I'd been hunted by a vampire, too. I hoped this wasn't some kind of tradition forming._

 _Already I was falling into the pattern of things in La Push. I'd spent Sunday mostly on the beach, while Charlie hung out with Billy at the Blacks' house. I was supposed to be with Jacob, but Jacob had other things to do, so I wandered alone, keeping the secret from Charlie._

 _When Jacob dropped in to check on me, he apologized for ditching me so much. He told me his schedule wasn't always this crazy, but until Victoria was stopped, the wolves were on red alert._

 _When we walked along the beach now, he always held my hand._

 _This made me brood over what Jared had said, about Jacob involving his "girlfriend." I supposed that that was exactly what it looked like from the outside. As long as Jake and I knew how it really was, I shouldn't let those kinds of assumptions bother me. And maybe they wouldn't, if I hadn't known that Jacob would have loved for things to be what they appeared. But his hand felt nice as it warmed mine, and I didn't protest._

 _I worked Tuesday afternoon - Jacob followed me on his bike to make sure I arrived safely - and Mike noticed._

 _"Are you dating that kid from La Push? The sophomore?" He asked, poorly disguising the resentment in his tone._

 _I shrugged. "Not in the technical sense of the word. I do spent most of my time with Jacob, though. He's my best friend."_

 _Mike's eyes narrowed shrewdly. "Don't kid yourself, Bella. The guy's head over heels for you."_

 _"I know," I sighed. "Life is complicated."_

 _"And girls are cruel," Mike said under his breath._

 _I supposed that was an easy assumption to make, too._

 _That night, Sam and Emily joined Charlie and me for dessert at Billy's house. Emily brought a cake that would have won over a harder man than Charlie. I could see, as the conversation flowed naturally through a range of casual subjects, that any worries Charlie might have harbored about gangs in La Push were being dissolved._

 _Jake and I skipped out early, to get some privacy. We went out to his garage and sat in the Rabbit. Jacob leaned his head back, his face drawn with exhaustion._

 _"You need some sleep, Jake."_

 _"I'll get around to it."_

 _He reached over and took my hand. His skin was blazing on mine._

 _"Is that one of those wolf things?" I asked him. "The heat, I mean."_

 _"Yeah. We run a little warmer than the normal people. About one-oh-eight, one-oh-nine. I never get cold anymore. I could stand like this" - he gestured to his bare torso - "in a snowstorm and it wouldn't bother me. The flakes would turn to rain where I stood."_

 _"And you all heal fast - that's a wolf thing, too?"_

 _"Yeah, wanna see? It's pretty cool." His eyes flipped open and he grinned. He reached around me to the glove compartment and dug around for a minute. His hand came out with a pocketknife._

 _"No, I do not want to see!" I shouted as soon as I realized what he was thinking. "Put that away!"_

 _Jacob chuckled, but shoved the knife back where it belonged. "Fine. It's a good thing we heal, though. You can't go see just any doctor when you're running a temperature that should mean you're dead."_

 _"No, I guess not." I thought about that for a minute. "... And being so big - that's part of it? Is that why you're all worried about Quil?"_

 _"That and the fact that Quil's grandfather says the kid could fry an egg on his forehead." Jacob's face turned hopeless. "It won't be long now. There's no exact age... it just builds and builds and then suddenly - " He broke off, and it was a moment before he could speak again. "Sometimes, if you get really upset or something, that can trigger it early. But I wasn't upset about anything - I was happy." He laughed bitterly. "Because of you, mostly. That's why it didn't happen to me sooner. Instead it just kept on building up inside me - I was like a time bomb. You know what set me off? I got back from that movie and Billy said I looked weird. That was all, but I just snapped. And then I - I exploded. I almost ripped his face off - my own father!" He shuddered, and his face paled._

 _"Is it really bad, Jake?" I asked anxiously, wishing I had some way to help him. "Are you miserable?"_

 _"No, I'm not miserable," he told me. "Not anymore. Not now that you know. That was hard, before." He leaned over so that his cheek was resting on top of my head._

 _He was quiet for a moment, and I wondered what he was thinking about. Maybe I didn't want to know._

 _"What's the hardest part?" I whispered, still wishing I could help._

 _"The hardest part is feeling... out of control," he said slowly. "Feeling like I can't be sure of myself - like maybe you shouldn't be around me, like maybe nobody should. Like I'm a monster who might hurt somebody. You've seen Emily. Sam lost control of his temper for just one second... and she was standing too close. And now there's nothing he can ever do to put it right again. I hear his thoughts - I know what that feels like..._

 _"Who wants to be a nightmare, a monster?_

 _"And then, the way it comes so easily to me, the way I'm better at it than the rest of them - does that make me even less human than Enbry or Sam? Sometimes I'm afraid that I'm losing myself."_

 _"Is it hard? To find yourself again?"_

 _"At first," he said. "It takes some practice to phase back and forth. But it's easier for me."_

 _"Why?" I wondered._

 _"Because Ephraim Black was my father's grandfather, and Quil Ateara was my mother's grandfather."_

 _"Quil?" I asked in confusion._

 _"His great-grandfather," Jacob clarified. "The Quil you know is my second cousin."_

 _"But why does it matter who your great-grandfathers are?"_

 _"Because Ephraim and Quil were in the last pack. Levi Uley was the third. It's in my blood on both sides. I never had a chance. Like Quil doesn't have a chance."_

 _His expression was bleak._

 _"What's the very best part?" I asked, hoping to cheer him up._

 _"The best part," he said, suddenly smiling again, "is the speed."_

 _"Better than the motorcycles?"_

 _He nodded, enthusiastic. "There's no comparison."_

 _"How fast can you... ?"_

 _"Run?" he finished my question. "Fast enough. What can I measure it by? We caught... what was his name? Laurent? I imagine that means more to you than it would to someone else."_

 _It did mean something to me. I couldn't imagine that - the wolves running faster than a vampire. When the Cullens ran, they all but turned invisible with speed._

 _"So, tell me something I don't know," he said. "Something about vampires. How did you stand it, being around them? Didn't it creep you out?"_

 _"No," I said curtly._

 _My tone made him thoughtful for a moment._

 _"Say, why'd your bloodsucker kill that James, anyway?" he asked suddenly._

 _"James was trying to kill me - it was like a game for him. He lost. Do you remember last spring when I was in the hospital down in Phoenix?"_

 _Jacob sucked in a breath. "He got that close?"_

 _"He got very, very close." I stroked my scar. Jacob noticed, because he held the hand I moved._

 _"What's that?" He traded hands, examining my right. "This is your funny scar, the cold one." He looked at it closer, with new eyes, and gasped._

 _"Yes, it's what you think it is," I said. "James bit me."_

 _His eyes bulged, and his face turned a strange, sallow color under the russet surface. He looked like he was about to be sick._

 _"But if he bit you... ? Shouldn't you be... ?" He choked._

 _"Edward saved me twice," I whispered. "He sucked the venom out - you know, like with a rattlesnake." I twitched as the pain lashed around the edges of the hole._

 _But I wasn't the only one twitching. I could feel Jacob's whole body trembling next to mine. Even the car shook._

 _"Careful, Jake. Easy. Calm in down."_

 _"Yeah," he panted. "Calm." He shook his head back and forth quickly. After a moment, only his hands were shaking._

 _"You okay?"_

 _"Yeah, almost. Tell me something else. Give me something else to think about."_

 _"What do you want to know?"_

 _"I don't know." He had his eyes closed, concentrating. "The extra stuff I guess. Did any of the other Cullens have... extra talents? Like the mind reading?"_

 _I hesitated a second. This felt like a question he would ask of his spy, not his friend. But what was the point of hiding what I knew? It didn't matter now, and it would help him control himself._

 _So I spoke quickly, the image of Emily's ruined face in my mind, and the hair rising on my arms. I couldn't imagine how the russet wolf would fit inside the Rabbit - Jacob would tear the whole garage apart if he changed now._

 _"Jasper could... sort of control the emotions of the people around him. Not in a bad way, just to calm someone down, that kind of thing. It would probably help Paul a lot," I added, teasing weakly. "And then Alice could see things that were going to happen. The future, you know, but not absolutely. The things she saw would change when someone changed the path they were on..."_

 _Like how she'd seen me dying... and she'd seen me becoming one of them. Two things that had not happened. And one that never would. My head started to spin - I couldn't seem to pull in enough oxygen from the air. No lungs._

 _Jacob was entirely in control now, very still beside me._

 _"Why do you do that?" he asked. He tugged lightly at one of my arms, which was bound around my chest, and then gave up when it wouldn't come loose easily. I hadn't even realized I'd moved them. "You do that when you're upset. Why?"_

 _"It hurts to think about them," I whispered. "It's like I can't breathe... like I'm breaking into pieces..."It was bizarre how much I could tell Jacob now. We had no more secrets._

 _He smoothed my hair. "It's okay, Bella, it's okay. I won't bring it up again. I'm sorry."_

 _"I'm fine." I gasped. "Happens all the time. Not your fault."_

 _"We're a pretty messed-up pair, aren't we?" Jacob said. "Neither one of us can hold our shape together right."_

 _"Pathetic," I agreed, still breathless._

 _"At least we have each other," he said, clearly comforted by the thought._

 _I was comforted, too. "At least there's that," I agreed._

 _And when we were together, it was fine. But Jacob had a horrible, dangerous job he felt compelled to do, and so I was often alone, stuck in La Push for safety, with nothing to do to keep my mind off any of my worries._

 _I felt awkward, always taking up space at Billy's. I did some studying for another Calculus test that was coming up next week, but I could only look at math for so long. When I didn't have something obvious to do in my hands, I felt like I ought to be making conversation with Billy - the pressure of normal societal rules. But Billy wasn't one for filling up the long silences, and so the awkwardness continued._

 _I tried hanging out at Emily's place Wednesday afternoon, for a change. At first it was kind of nice. Emily was a cheerful person who never sat still. I drifted behind her while she flitted around her little house and yard, scrubbing at the spotless floor, pulling a tiny weed, fixing a broken hinge, tugging a string of wool through an ancient loom, and always cooking, too. She complained lightly about the increase in the boys' appetites from all their extra running, but it was easy to see she didn't mind taking care of them. It wasn't hard to be with her - after all, we were both wolf girls now._

 _But Sam checked in after I'd been there for a few hours. I only stayed long enough to ascertain that Jacob was fine and there was no news, and then I had to escape. The aura of love and contentment that surrounded them was harder to take in concentrated doses, with no one else around to dilute it._

 _So that left me wandering the beach, pacing the length of the rocky crescent back and forth, again and again._

 _Alone time wasn't good for me. Thanks to the new honesty with Jacob, I'd been talking and thinking about the Cullens way too much. No matter how I tried to distract myself - and I had plenty to think of: I was honestly and desperately worried about Jacob and his wolf-brothers, I was terrified for Charlie and the others who thought they were hunting animals, I was getting in deeper and deeper with Jacob without ever having consciously decided to progress in that direction and I didn't know what to do about it - none of these very real, very deserving of thought, very pressing concerns could take my mind off the pain in my chest for long. Eventually, I couldn't even walk anymore, because I couldn't breathe. I sat down on a patch of semi-dry rocks and curled up in a ball._

 _Jacob found me like that, and I could tell from his expression that he understood._

 _"Sorry," he said right away. He pulled me up from the ground and wrapped both arms around my shoulders. I hadn't realized that I was cold until then. His warmth made me shudder, but at least I could breathe with him there._

 _"I'm ruining your spring break," Jacob accused himself as we walked back up the beach._

 _"No, you're not. I didn't have any plans. I don't think I like spring breaks, anyway."_

 _"I'll take tomorrow morning off. The others can run without me. We'll do something fun."_

 _The word seemed out of place in my life right now, barely comprehensible, bizarre. "Fun?"_

 _"Fun is exactly what you need. Hmm..." he gazed out across the heaving gray waves, deliberating. As his eyes scanned the horizon, he had a flash of inspiration._

 _"Got it!" he crowed. "Another promise to keep."_

 _"What are you talking about?"_

 _He let go of my hand and pointed toward the southern edge of the beach, where the flat, rocky half-moon dead-ended against the sheer sea cliffs. I stared, uncomprehending._

 _"Didn't I promise to take you cliff diving?"_

 _I shivered._

 _"Yeah, it'll be pretty cold - not as cold as it is today. Can you feel the weather changing? The pressure? It will be warmer tomorrow. You up for it?"_

 _The dark water did not look inviting, and, from this angle, the cliffs looked even higher than before._

 _But it had been days since I'd heard Edward's voice. That was probably part of the problem. I was addicted to the sound of my delusions. It made things worse if I went too long without them. Jumping off a cliff was certain to remedy that situation._

 _"Sure, I'm up for it. Fun."_

 _"It's a date," he said, and draped his arm around my shoulders._

 _"Okay - now let's go get you some sleep." I didn't like the way the circles under his eyes were beginning to look permanently etched onto his skin._

 _I woke early the next morning and snuck a change of clothes out to the truck. I had a feeling that Charlie would approve of today's plan just about as much as he would approve of the motorcycle._

 _The idea of a distraction from all my worries had me almost excited. Maybe it would be fun. A date with Jacob, a date with Edward... I laughed darkly to myself. Jake could say what he wanted about us being a messed-up pair - I was the one who was truly messed up. I made the werewolf seem downright normal._

 _I expected Jacob to meet me out front, the way he usually did when my noisy truck announced my arrival. When he didn't, I guessed that he might still be sleeping. I would wait - let him get as much rest as he could. He needed his sleep, and that would give the day time to warm a bit more. Jake had been right about the weather, though; it had changed in the night. A thick layer of clouds pressed heavily on the atmosphere now, making it almost sultry; it was warm and close under the gray blanket. I left my sweater in the truck._

 _I knocked quietly on the door._

 _"C'mon in, Bella," Billy said._

 _He was at the kitchen table, eating cold cereal._

 _"Jake sleeping?"_

 _"Er, no." He set his spoon down, and his eyebrows pulled together._

 _"What happened?" I demanded. I could tell from his expression that something had._

 _"Embry, Jared, and Paul crossed a fresh trail early this morning. Sam and Jake took off to help. Sam was hopeful - she's hedged herself in beside the mountains. He thinks they have a good chance to finish this."_

 _"Oh, no, Billy," I whispered. "Oh, no."_

 _He chuckled, deep and low. "Do you really like La Push so well that you want to extend your sentence here?"_

 _"Don't make jokes, Billy. This is too scary for that."_

 _"You're right," he agreed, still complacent. His ancient eyes were impossible to read. "This one's tricky."_

 _I bit my lip._

 _"It's not as dangerous for them as you think it is. Sam knows what he's doing. You're the one that you should worry about. The vampire doesn't want to fight them. She's just trying to find a way around them... to you."_

 _"How does Sam know what he's doing?" I demanded, brushing aside his concern for me. "They've only killed just the one vampire - that could have been luck."_

 _"We take what we do very seriously, Bella. Nothing's been forgotten. Everything they need to know has been passed down from father to son for generations."_

 _That didn't comfort me the way he probably intended it to. The memory of Victoria, wild, catlike, lethal, was too strong in my head. If she couldn't get around the wolves, she would eventually try to go through them._

 _Billy went back to his breakfast; I sat down on the sofa and flipped aimlessly through the TV channels. That didn't last long. I started to feel closed in by the small room, claustrophobic, upset by the fact that I couldn't see out the curtained windows._

 _"I'll be at the beach," I told Billy abruptly, and hurried out the door._

 _Being outside didn't help as much as I'd hoped. The clouds pushed down with an invisible weight that kept the claustrophobia from easing. The forest seemed strangely vacant as I walked toward the beach. I didn't see any animals - no birds, no squirrels. I couldn't hear any birds, either. The silence was eerie; there wasn't even the sound of wind in the trees._

 _I knew it was all just a product of the weather, but it still made me edgy. The heavy, warm pressure of the atmosphere was perceptible even to my weak human senses, and it hinted at something major in the storm department. A glance at the sky backed this up; the clouds were churning sluggishly despite the lack of breeze on the ground. The closest clouds were a smoky gray, but between the cracks I could see another layer that was a gruesome purple color. The skies had a ferocious plan in store for today. The animals must be bunkering down._

 _As soon as I reached the beach, I wished I hadn't come - I'd already had enough of this place. I'd been here almost every day, wandering alone. Was it so much different from my nightmares? But where else to go? I trudged down to the driftwood tree, and sat at the end so that I could lean against the tangled roots. I stared up at the angry sky broodingly, waiting for the first drops to break the stillness._

 _I tried not to think about the danger Jacob and his friends were in. Because nothing could happen to Jacob. The thought was unendurable. I'd lost too much already - would fate take the last few shreds of peace left behind? That seemed unfair, out of balance. But maybe I'd violated some unknown rule, crossed some line that had condemned me. Maybe it was wrong to be so involved with myths and legends, to turn my back on the human world. Maybe..._

 _No. Nothing would happen to Jacob. I had to believe that or I wouldn't be able to function._

 _"Argh!" I groaned, and jumped off the log. I couldn't sit still; it was worse than pacing._

 _I'd really been counting on hearing Edward this morning. It seemed like that was the one thing that might make it bearable to live through this day. The hole had been festering lately, like it was getting revenge for the times that Jacob's presence had tamed it. The edges burned._

 _The waves picked up as I paced, beginning to crash against the rocks, but there was still no wind. I felt pinned down by the pressure of the storm. Everything swirled around me, but it was perfectly still where I stood. The air had a faint electric charge - I could feel the static in my hair._

 _Farther out, the waves were angrier than they were along the shore. I could see them battering against the line of the cliffs, spraying big white clouds of seafoam into the sky. There was still no movement in the air, though the clouds roiled more quickly now. It was eerie looking - like the clouds were moving by their own will. I shivered, though I knew it was just a trick of the pressure._

 _The cliffs were a black knife edge against the livid sky. Staring at them, I remembered the day Jacob had told me about Sam and his "gang." I thought of the boys - the werewolves - throwing themselves into the empty air. The image of the falling, spiraling figures was still vivid in my mind. I imagined the utter freedom of the fall... I imagined the way Edward's voice would have sounded in my head - furious, velvet, perfect... The burning in my chest flared agonizingly._

 _There had to be some way to quench it. The pain was growing more and more intolerable by the second. I glared at the cliffs and the crashing waves._

 _Well, why not? Why not quench it right now?_

 _Jacob had promised me cliff diving, hadn't he? Just because he was unavailable, should I have to give up the distraction I needed so badly - needed even worse because Jacob was out risking his life? Risking it, in essence, for me. If it weren't for me, Victoria would not be killing people here... just somewhere else, far away. If anything happened to Jacob, it would be my fault. That realization stabbed deep and had me jogging back up to the road toward Billy's house, where my truck waited._

 _I knew my way to the lane that passed closest to the cliffs, but I had to hunt for the little path that would take me out to the ledge. As I followed it, I looked for turns or forks, knowing that Jake had planned to take me off the lower outcropping rather than the top, but the path wound in a thin single line toward the brink with no options. I didn't have time to find another way down - the storm was moving in quickly now. The wind was finally beginning to touch me, the clouds pressing closer to the ground. Just as I reached the place where the dirt path fanned out into the stone precipice, the first drops broke through and splattered on my face._

 _It was not hard to convince myself that I didn't have time to search for another way - I wanted to jump from the top. This was the image that had lingered in my head. I wanted the long fall that would feel like flying._

 _I knew that this was the stupidest, most reckless thing I had done yet. The thought made me smile. The pain was already easing, as if my body knew that Edward's voice was just seconds away..._

 _The ocean sounded very far away, somehow farther than before, when I was on the path in the trees. I grimaced when I thought of the probable temperature of the water. But I wasn't going to let that stop me._

 _The wind blew stronger now, whipping the rain into eddies around me._

 _I stepped out to the edge, keeping my eyes on the empty space in front of me. My toes felt ahead blindly, caressing the edge of the rock when they encountered it. I drew in a deep breath and held it . . waiting._

 _"Bella."_

 _I smiled and exhaled._

 _Yes? I didn't answer out loud, for fear that the sound of my voice would shatter the beautiful illusion. He sounded so real, so close. It was only when lie was disapproving like this that I could hear the true memory of his voice - the velvet texture and the musical intonation that made up the most perfect of all voices._

 _"Don't do this," he pleaded._

 _You wanted me to be human, I reminded him. Well, watch me._

 _"Please. For me."_

 _But you won't stay with me any other way._

 _"Please." It was just a whisper in the blowing rain that tossed my hair and drenched my clothes - making me as wet as if this were my second jump of the day._

 _I rolled up onto the balls of my feet._

 _"No, Bella!" He was angry now, and the anger was so lovely._

 _I smiled and raised my arms straight out, as if I were going to dive, lifting my face into the rain. But it was too ingrained from years of swimming at the public pool - feet first, first time. I leaned forward, crouching to get more spring..._

 _And I flung myself off the cliff._

 _I screamed as I dropped through the open air like a meteor, but it was a scream of exhilaration and not fear. The wind resisted, trying vainly to fight the unconquerable gravity, pushing against me and twirling me in spirals like a rocket crashing to the earth._

 _Yes! The word echoed through my head as I sliced through the surface of the water. It was icy, colder than I'd feared, and yet the chill only added to the high._

 _I was proud of myself as I plunged deeper into the freezing black water. I hadn't had one moment of terror - just pure adrenaline. Really, the fall wasn't scary at all. Where was the challenge?_

 _That was when the current caught me._

 _I'd been so preoccupied by the size of the cliffs, by the obvious danger of their high, sheer faces, that I hadn't worried at all about the dark water waiting. I never dreamed that the true menace was lurking far below me, under the heaving surf._

 _It felt like the waves were fighting over me, jerking me back and forth between them as if determined to share by pulling me into halves. I knew the right way to avoid a riptide: swim parallel to the beach rather than struggling for the shore. But the knowledge did me little good when I didn't know which way the shore was._

 _I couldn't even tell which way the surface was._

 _The angry water was black in every direction; there was no brightness to direct me upward. Gravity was all-powerful when it competed with the air, but it had nothing on the waves - I couldn't feel a downward pull, a sinking in any direction. Just the battering of the current that flung me round and round like a rag doll._

 _I fought to keep my breath in, to keep my lips locked around my last store of oxygen._

 _It didn't surprise me that my delusion of Edward was there. He owed me that much, considering that I was dying. I was surprised by how sure that knowledge was. I was going to drown. I was drowning._

 _"Keep swimming!" Edward begged urgently in my head._

 _Where? There was nothing but the darkness. There was no place to swim to._

 _"Stop that!" he ordered. "Don't you dare give up!"_

 _The cold of the water was numbing my arms and legs. I didn't feel the buffeting so much as before. It was more of just a dizziness now, a helpless spinning in the water._

 _But I listened to him. I forced my arms to continue reaching, my legs to kick harder, though every second I was facing a new direction. It couldn't be doing any good. What was the point?_

 _"Fight!" he yelled. "Damn it, Bella, keep fighting."_

 _Why?_

 _I didn't want to fight anymore. And it wasn't the light-headedness, or the cold, or the failure of my arms as the muscles gave out in exhaustion, that made me content to stay where I was. I was almost happy that it was over. This was an easier death than others I'd faced. Oddly peaceful._

 _I thought briefly of the clichés, about how you were suppose to see your life flash before your eyes. I was so much luckier. Who wanted to see a rerun, anyway?_

 _I saw him, and I had no will to fight. It was so clear, so much more defined than any memory. My subconscious had stored Edward away in flawless detail, saving him for this final moment. I could see his perfect face as if he were really there; the exact shade of his icy skin, the shape of his lips, the line of his jaw, the gold glinting in his furious eyes. He was angry, naturally, that I was giving up. His teeth were clenched and his nostrils flared with rage._

 _"No! Bella, no!"_

 _My ears were flooded with the freezing water, but his voice was clearer than ever. I ignored his words and concentrated on the sound of his voice. Why would I fight when I was so happy where I was? Even as my lungs burned for more air and my legs cramped in the icy cold, I was content. I'd forgotten what real happiness felt like._

 _Happiness. It made the whole dying thing pretty bearable._

 _The current won at that moment, shoving me abruptly against something hard, a rock invisible in the gloom. It hit me solidly across the chest, slamming into me like an iron bar, and the breath whooshed out of my lungs, escaping in a thick cloud of silver bubbles. Water flooded down my throat, choking and burning. The iron bar seemed to be dragging me, pulling me away from Edward, deeper into the dark, to the ocean floor._

 _Goodbye, I love you, was my last thought._


	3. Chapter 2 Near Death

Hope you guys enjoy where I am taking this. Like I said, I'm excited to share the very first story I attempted to write in my notebook when I was younger.

Feel free to criticize me. But do so in Reviews so I know how to become better. Let me know what you think so far!

-KarleighAnn

* * *

 _ **Chapter 2. Near Death**_

 _(This chapter will be part of chapter 16 from New Moon. This will include the part where Jacob saves her. This portion of the story and the characters belong to Stephenie Meyer. The story line that continues after the cliff belong to me.)_

 _At that moment, my head broke the surface._

 _How disorienting. I'd been sure I was sinking._

 _The current wouldn't let up. It was slamming me against more rocks; they beat against the center of my back sharply, rhythmically, pushing the water from my lungs. It gushed out in amazing volume, absolute torrents pouring from my mouth and nose. The salt burned and my lungs burned and my throat was too full of water to catch a breath and the rocks were hurting my back. Somehow I stayed in one place, though the waves still heaved around me. I couldn't see anything but water everywhere, reaching for my face._

 _"Breathe!" a voice, wild with anxiety, ordered, and I felt a cruel stab of pain where I recognized the voice - because it wasn't Edward's._

 _I could not obey. The waterfall pouring from my mouth didn't stop long enough for me to catch a breath. The black, icy water filled my chest, burning._

 _The rock smacked into my back again, right between my shoulder blades, and another volley of water choked its way out of my lungs._

 _"Breathe, Bella! C'mon!" Jacob begged._

 _Black spots bloomed across my vision, getting wider and wider, blocking out the light._

 _The rock struck me again._

 _The rock wasn't cold like the water; it was hot on my skin. I realized it was Jacob's hand, trying to beat the water from my lungs. The iron bar that had dragged me from the sea was also... warm... My head whirled, the black spots covered everything..._

 _Was I dying again, then? I didn't like it - this wasn't as good as the last time. It was only dark now, nothing worth looking at here. The sound of the crashing waves faded into the black and became a quiet, even whoosh that sounded like it was coming from the inside of my ears..._

 _"Bella?" Jacob asked, his voice still tense, but not as wild as before. "Bells, honey, can you hear me?"_

 _The contents of my head swished and rolled sickeningly, like they'd joined the rough water..._

 _"How long has she been unconscious?" someone else asked._

 _The voice that was not Jacob's shocked me, jarred me into a more focused awareness._

 _I realized that I was still. There was no tug of the current on me - the heaving was inside my head. The surface under me was flat and motionless. It felt grainy against my bare arms._

 _"I don't know," Jacob reported, still frantic. His voice was very close. Hands - so warm they had to be his - brushed wet hair from my cheeks. "A few minutes? It didn't take long to tow her to the beach."_

 _The quiet whooshing inside my ears was not the waves - it was the air moving in and out of my lungs again. Each breath burned - the passageways were as raw as if I'd scrubbed them out with steel wool. But I was breathing._

 _And I was freezing. A thousand sharp, icy beads were striking my face and arms, making the cold worse._

 _"She's breathing. She'll come around. We should get her out of the cold, though. I don't like the color she's turning..." I recognized Sam's voice this time._

 _"You think it's okay to move her?"_

 _"She didn't hurt her back or anything when she fell?"_

 _"I don't know."_

 _They hesitated._

 _I tried to open my eyes. It took me a minute, but then I could see the dark, purple clouds, flinging the freezing rain down at me. "Jake?" I croaked._

 _Jacob's face blocked out the sky. "Oh!" he gasped, relief washing over his features. His eyes were wet from the rain. "Oh, Bella! Are you okay? Can you hear me? Do you hurt anywhere?"_

 _"J-Just m-my throat," I stuttered, my lips quivering from the cold._

 _"Let's get you out of here, then," Jacob said. He slid his arms under me and lifted me without effort - like picking up an empty box. His chest was bare and warm; he hunched his shoulders to keep the rain off of me. My head lolled over his arm. I stared vacantly back toward the furious water, beating the sand behind him._

 _"You got her?" I heard Sam ask._

 _"Yeah, I'll take it from here. Get back to the hospital. I'll join you later. Thanks, Sam."_

 _My head was still rolling. None of his words sunk in at first. Sam didn't answer. There was no sound, and I wondered if he were already gone._

 _The water licked and writhed up the sand after us as Jacob carried me away, like it was angry that I'd escaped. As I stared wearily, a spark of color caught my unfocused eyes - a small flash of fire was dancing on the black water, far out in the bay. The image made no sense, and I wondered how conscious I really was. My head swirled with the memory of the black, churning water - of being so lost that I couldn't find up or down. So lost... but somehow Jacob..._

 _"How did you find me?" I rasped._

 _"I was searching for you," he told me. He was half-jogging through the rain, up the beach toward the road. "I followed the tire tracks to your truck, and then I heard you scream..." He shuddered. "Why would you jump, Bella? Didn't you notice that it's turning into a hurricane out here? Couldn't you have waited for me?" Anger filled his tone as the relief faded._

 _"Sorry," I muttered. "It was stupid."_

 _"Yeah, it was really stupid," he agreed, drops of rain shaking free of his hair as he nodded. "Look, do you mind saving the stupid stuff for when I'm around? I won't be able to concentrate if I think you're jumping off cliffs behind my back."_

 _"Sure," I agreed. "No problem." I sounded like a chain-smoker. I tried to clear my throat - and then winced; the throat-clearing felt like stabbing a knife down there. "What happened today? Did you... find her?" It was my turn to shudder, though I wasn't so cold here, right next to his ridiculous body heat._

 _Jacob shook his head. He was still more running than walking as he headed up the road to his house. "No. She took off into the water - the bloodsuckers have the advantage there. That's why I raced home - I was afraid she was going to double back swimming. You spend so much time on the beach..." He trailed off, a catch in his throat._

 _"Sam came back with you... is everyone else home, too?" I hoped they weren't still out searching for her._

 _"Yeah. Sort of."_

 _I tried to read his expression, squinting into the hammering rain. His eyes were tight with worry or pain._

 _The words that hadn't made sense before suddenly did. "You said... hospital. Before, to Sam. Is someone hurt? Did she fight you?" My voice jumped up an octave, sounding strange with the hoarseness._

 _"No, no. When we got back, Em was waiting with the news. It's Harry Clearwater. Harry had a heart attack this morning."_

 _"Harry?" I shook my head, trying to absorb what he was staying. "Oh, no! Does Charlie know?"_

 _"Yeah. He's over there, too, with my dad."_

 _"Is Harry going to be okay?"_

 _Jacob's eyes tightened again. "It doesn't look so great right now."_

 _Abruptly, I felt really sick with guilt - felt truly horrible about the brainless cliff dive. Nobody needed to be worrying about me right now. What a stupid time to be reckless._

 _"What can I do?" I asked._

 _At that moment the rain stopped. I hadn't realized we were already back to Jacob's house until he walked through the door. The storm pounded against the roof._

 _"You can stay here," Jacob said as he dumped me on the short couch. "I mean it - right here I'll get you some dry clothes."_

 _I let my eyes adjust to the dark room while Jacob banged around in his bedroom. The cramped front room seemed so empty without Billy, almost desolate. It was strangely ominous - probably just because I knew where he was._

 _Jacob was back in seconds. He threw a pile of gray cotton at me. "These will be huge on you, but it's the best I've got. I'll, er, step outside so you can change."_

 _"Don't go anywhere. I'm too tired to move yet. Just stay with me."_

 _Jacob sat on the floor next to me, his back against the couch. I wondered when he'd slept last. He looked as exhausted as I felt._

 _He leaned his head on the cushion next to mine and yawned. "Guess I could rest for a minute..."_

 _His eyes closed. I let mine slide shut, too._

 _Poor Harry. Poor Sue. I knew Charlie was going to be beside himself. Harry was one of his best friends. Despite Jake's negative take on things, I hoped fervently that Harry would pull through. For Charlie's sake. For Sue's and Leah's and Seth's..._

 _Billy's sofa was right next to the radiator, and I was warm now, despite my soaked clothes. My lungs ached in a way that pushed me toward unconsciousness rather than keeping me awake. I wondered vaguely if it was wrong to sleep... or was I getting drowning mixed up with concussions... ? Jacob began softly snoring, and the sound of it soothed like a lullaby. I fell asleep quickly._

Waking up, I find that I am sweating and laying in an awkward spot. My head is sort of hanging off the couch while my legs are over the back of it. My clothes are no longer soaking wet from my time in the water, but I am damp. I have a killer headache and my throat still hurts from earlier. Leaning my head to the left, I find Jake still passed out on the floor snoring lightly.

I sit up while stretching. "Jake," I croak out and nudge his leg with my foot. I smack my lips together and focus of getting saliva in my mouth built up. I swallow it and it helps my dry throat a bit. So, louder, I try to wake Jake up. "Jacob," I try once again. This time I kick him harder than the nudge I gave earlier. I watch as he jerks awake looking around frantically.

"Jake, we dozed off," I tell him. I get up from the couch and head to the kitchen. Billy's living room and kitchen were small so there wasn't much distance from the couch to the fridge. I help myself to something to drink. The cool liquid soothed my burning throat. Sighing contently, I turn to find Jacob rubbing his eyes while sitting up. He stretches once he stand up by bending down to touch his toes.

Jacob straightens up and faces me. "We should head to the hospital now. If they're still there I mean."

I nod, while I gather the clothes Jacob gave me earlier. The gray heap consisted of a large shirt and a pair of his boxers. No doubt had he given me shorts, they would have fallen down a lot, even with the string. But this boxers seemed tight enough to fit me without falling down. Wanting to get to the hospital and out of these damp clothes quickly, I move to Jacob's room to change. The shirt, when on my body, comes to my knees. It looks like a dress on me. I blush at the thought of Charlie seeing me like this. Oh, God.

Stepping out of the bedroom, I find Jake with a shirt on and the keys in his hand. His eyes are lingering on me. I do notice him look up and down before stopping at my bare legs. He clears his throat and shakes his head. "Talked to Sam, they are still at the hospital. The doctor's have everyone saying their goodbyes. He didn't make it," he says sadly.

I frown. Poor Charlie- he lost one of his best friends. Poor Leah and Seth- they lost their father. Poor Sue- she lost her husband. "This is so sad. I'm so sorry," I reply while moving to the dryer. I throw my clothes in and start it. Then I head to Jake so we could leave.

"Yeah," is all Jacob says.

We head out into the garage and Jake stops by the motorcycles. He grabs a helmet and hands it to me. I stare up at him in shock. "We're taking these?" I question in disbelief. Doesn't he remember what happened to me last time?

Jake manages to let out a small chuckle. " _I_ am taking one of these. Meaning I'll be the one driving. You on the other hand, will sit on the bike with me." He instructs while he straddles it. Jacob holds his hand out to me, offering me help onto it. I slip the helmet on and take his hand. I cautiously step over the bike with one foot. I bunch up the shirt, making it tight under my butt, but the extra in my hand on top of my lap when I sit. Slowly sitting down, I take my hand from jake and wrap it around his waist while the other hand is holding the excess shirt in between our bodies.

"Why are we taking this?" I ask.

"The Rabbit is broken down," he admits.

That makes sense. Why else would he take the bike? "Alright, but make sure we park away from the entrance. We don't need to give Charlie a heart attack." Realizing what I said, my hand automatically removes itself from Jake's waist and I hit my forehead with my palm. "Shit, Jake, I'm not trying to be insensitive, but it's true what would happen with Charlie."

"Relax Bells, I understand."

Sighing, I replace my hand back on Jake's waist. I grip it when Jake starts the engine and I feel it rumble below me. Man, it's been a little while since my last time on a motorcycle. I shiver when I think back to that memory of falling off and getting hurt. That was fresh from waking up from my zombie state, as Charlie likes to call it. I had ridden on a motorcycle with a stranger in Port Angeles after the movies with Jessica.

After that, I came across two motorcycles on the side of someone's curb. They were getting rid of them and I took them off their hands. Together, Jake and I fixed them up. He was teaching me how to ride one when I managed to crash it and cut my forehead open. When I come back from the memory, we were on the main road, leading away from Jake's. I wonder how far the hospital is from his house.

With my hair wiping backwards, it will finish drying before we reach the hospital. I bite my lip wondering just what I will tell Charlie when I show up like this. How would I explain the fact that I went cliff diving on my own without Jacob and I almost died? I lean forward into Jacob, my chin resting on his back. I could feel the heat radiating off of him.

Ten minutes later, we pull up to what seems to be the hospital. It wasn't as big as I pictured. It was kind of small, but that's what to expect when you have a mediocre population on the reservation. Jacob parks in the middle of the parking lot. He holds out his hand again offering me assistance, and I take it appreciatively. "Thanks," I whisper gratefully.

"Don't mention it. By the way, thank you as well. For letting me sleep, I mean. It's been awhile since I got a nap like that one. But come on. Let's head inside," he motions for me to go forward once he buts the engine.

I nod and wrap my arms around myself. I allow Jacob to lead the way because I had no clue where we were supposed to go. Once again, I find myself biting my lip. It's a nervous habit I got into. Hospitals make me nervous because of all the time I've spent inside them.

Stopping at the elevators, I find myself staring at my reflection in the shinny doors. I'm a little taken aback. I wasn't expecting to look like this in Jacob's clothes. His large shirt, like I said before, looks like a dress on me. My one knee had a scrape on it. My hair was messy. It honestly looked like I had sex with Jacob and we were in a rush to get here. Once again, I find the blush come to my face.

The elevator dings, indicating it's on our floor. When the doors open, we step inside and Jacob presses the number four to take us to the fourth floor. I can feel the blood in my cheeks and it makes me glad Jake hasn't noticed. The elevator stops on floor four with a ding and the doors open wide. I take a deep breath and step outside of it. I stop a moment to wait for Jake, and when I look up, I see the sorrow written all over.

The sadness hits me like a ton of bricks when we round the corner. Everyone who knew Harry was gathered in the little waiting room. The whole pack was there, along with Charlie, and people I didn't know. I assume Sue, Leah, and Seth, were in the room with Harry.

Sam looks up when he hears us approaching. The pain in his eyes are clear for anyone sitting here. He loved Harry like a father, for some time ago, he dated Leah and was close with her immediate family. I felt so bad for everyone affected by Harry's death. This pain should be brought on no one because he shouldn't have had to go.

He died because of me. He was out in that search party with Charlie to keep an eye on him for me since Victoria was looking for me. Had I not made a big deal about the wolves I saw after Laurent, Charlie wouldn't have been out there with a search party. Which means Harry wouldn't have been out there watching over Charlie and covering for the wolves. Which means, he never would have had a heart attack by being overworked.

Tears pool in my eyes from the anger I feel. I'm angry at Victoria for coming after me and affecting those among me. But most of all, I'm angry myself for being the danger magnet that I was.

Charlie looks up now, taking in the fact that Jacob and I showed up. His eyebrows furrow together at the clothes I'm wearing. Jacob places his hand at the small of my back and directs me over to the seat by my father. "Hey Charlie," Jake greets softly.

Charlie's puffy red eyes, meet Jake's. "Hi Jacob." It's quiet for a moment before he continues what he's been wondering since the moment he saw me. "Care to explain why my daughter is like that?"

Jacob clear his throat. "Yeah, sure. You see we were at First Beach when we decided to go for a swim. We didn't have our bathing suits so we just went in our clothes. When we got back to my house, I got the message about Harry, so instead of coming in wet clothes and sitting in a chilly hospital, I lent Bella a shirt of mine."

I'm in awe of Jacob and how easily he was able to lie. Technically it wasn't a total lie, due to the fact I was "swimming" but he wasn't. He got wet by saving my sorry ass. And it was true about being wet and not wanting to come to the hospital like that, so he gave me clothes.

Charlie just nods and goes back to staring at the ground.

I feel Jacob tense beside me and I look up at him. I find him and Sam having a stare down before both of them are out of their seats and heading God knows where. The other pack members don't seem to be confused. And the other's who are members, didn't even realize they left the room. Moments later, they are walking towards the elevators with a young shaking teenager.

Everything clicks.


	4. Chapter 3 Red Flame

_Here's a new chapter of The Sun and the Moon! Hope you all enjoy. Make sure to review to let me know how you like it!_

 _-KarleighAnn_

* * *

 **Chapter 3. Red Flame**

Sitting next to Charlie, I bite my lip. They just took a young teenage boy out of the hospital. Was that Seth Clearwater? Could it be that the boy, who is barely fourteen, is in the midst of phasing? My head is spinning. I swear Jacob told me that it usually happens to boys who are later in their teenage years. For example, Jacob was sixteen. Seth should have had two more years before phasing. I glance at the doors. Maybe I should go check on them.

Standing up, I catch the eyes of Jared who is pleading with me to stay put. I guess he can read me like an open book. I _was_ going to go outside and check on Jacob, but I'll stay inside. Besides, Jake might get mad at me for going out there, especially since he warned me about new shape shifters. I know Seth must be angry and upset about his father's death. I gulp thinking about Seth being told his father was only out there because of me. He'll be so mad at me, we won't be able to get along.

I shiver thinking about the story Jake told me of Sam and Emily. Poor Emily. As if she sensed I was thinking of her, she looked up. She smiles softly, before going back to reading a book on her lap. But thinking about the story, makes me wonder if I'll ever be able to be around the pack if Seth was there. Would Seth be mad about me hanging around with them, that he would phase every time?

Shaking my head, I sit back down. No, Jake wouldn't allow it to get that bad. I'll just hang out with them when Seth is on a patrol or something. I prop my head up on my hand. A few minutes later, Jacob comes back into the waiting room. No Sam. No Seth.

"I just saw Sue, she's asking for Billy and Charlie," he says to everyone.

I watch as Charlie stands up slowly and gathers his jacket. Billy wheels himself over to Charlie and together they go down the hall. Charlie's shaking hand reaches out to grab onto Billy's handle. I'm assuming he needs to prop himself up to continue walking. My heart broke at the scene. I could only imagine what Sue and her kids must feel like.

I come up next to Jacob and he looks down as I look up. "Seth phased," he whispered sadly.

"I figured that's who you guys were taking outside," I whisper back.

Jacob nods sadly. "Yeah, unfortunately, the grief was so much it caused him to phase early. Sam's with him out in the forest trying to explain everything. Sue knows all about this, so he won't have to keep it a secret, because she'll be on the council now. You know, taking over for Harry."

"Mhm," I mumbled looking over the people in the waiting room. The pack members were listening intently to what we were saying, catching up. The other people were oblivious to us. But then again, the pack has great hearing. So whispering between Jacob and I sounded like a normal conversation where people would be talking at a normal volume.

Paul comes over to join us in conversation. "I'm assuming Sam would like me to meet him outside so I can take over explaining things. I'm sure he'll want to be in here to say goodbye to Harry. He was closer to him than I."

"Yeah, he asked me to have you come out after a few minutes. He doesn't want to overwhelm Seth, but he's taking it all like a champ." Jacob says with a small smile.

After saying goodbye to Paul, he heads outside to go to Seth. Sam comes back in moments later, missing a shirt. I can only guess he couldn't get out of his clothes before he had to phase. Jacob seems to be the only lucky one who was able to keep his whole outfit. I would think Paul would have his too, if Sam allowed him to change out of them first.

Sam sat next to Emily and put his arm around her. At this moment, Leah Clearwater, at least that's what I'm assuming is her name, comes around the corner. She took in the sight of Sam and Emily huddled together in the room and looks away. But not before I was able to see the pain morph into anger. I noticed she was shaking slightly, and being up to speed with the new wolves' traits and warning signs, I nudge Jacob.

"What?" He asks.

"Is that Leah Clearwater?" I question while nodding my head in her direction.

Jacob glances up quickly. "Yeah, that's her."

"I think she's going to phase," I whisper to him, keeping my eyes on her. She wasn't paying attention to anything or anyone else in the room. I can see gears turning in her head, wondering why she was shaking. Why she seemed to be so mad.

Jacob snorts. "Yeah, right. Females don't phase."

I shake his arm this time. "No, Jake, I'm serious. She's shaking," I whisper angrily. I was getting mad that he wasn't listening to me.

He turns his eyes to me and mumbles, "Bella, she's shaking because her father just died. Females do not shift."

I cast my eyes around the room, hoping the pack heard my words. But none of them were paying attention to me. They were either ignoring me or just couldn't hear me. Sam was whispering in Emily's ear and she cracked a smile. I frown as I look over at Leah's face. There is obviously history there.

Standing from my chair, I make my way to Leah. If no one else will do anything, then I'll take matters into my own hands. Jacob can be mad at me later, but I am not about to have her phase in the hospital. "Hello Leah." I say as I walk up. "I'm Bella, Charlie's daughter. I'm very sorry for your loss."

Leah makes eye contact with me and nods. "Thank you," she spits out through her teeth.

"Would you like to get some fresh air?" I offer politely with a small smile.

"Gladly," she states and turns towards the elevators abruptly.

While we are standing in the elevator, I press the ground floor button. "I know your father just passed away and all, but are you okay?" I question quietly.

There was no answer at first, so I assumed she didn't hear me. I wasn't going to bother saying it again, in fear she'll be mad. "No," she says so softly, I almost didn't catch. "Sam and I used to date. We were high school sweethearts. Long story short, he left me the moment my cousin Emily came back to town from college."

I stare at her in shock. First, because she actually shared with me. I didn't think that she would have or even heard me. And secondly, because Sam and her used to date and that Emily is her cousin. It just seemed very confusing. Why would Sam just leave like that? Did he give her an explanation? Does she still love him? So many questions were floating around in my head. "And that's why seem very angry? Because you saw them together?"

"Yes. No. I don't know!" She exclaims as she throws her hands up into the air. The door dings and we step off. We both make our way to the doors to head outside. "I'm happy for her, you know? She deserves to be happy. But what about my happiness? Where's mine?" Leah kicks a rock that flies and hits a tree. I didn't realize how close this forest was to the La Push hospital. It's like their backyard.

"I see. I can understand where you're coming from."

"Can you really?" She spat.

"Not exactly your story to a 'T', but I do understand your pain. My boyfriend and I were together for a while. And then he ups and leaves me. Mind you, in the woods all alone. I have no clue where he went or is. His family disappeared too. Sad thing is, I still love and miss him."

"Shit, that's so... so fucked up!" Leah yells. "How could you even think to love him after that?" She asks in a pissed tone. I notice she is shaking more. Crap, what am I doing? Shouldn't I try to be cheering her up? I'm not supposed to piss her off more. I put my hands up and try to interrupt her, but she keeps going. "I mean, my dad was fine with the break up! He told Sam that Emily was great for her. What about me? Huh, Bella? Why would he do that to me?" At this, I'm just shaking my head and shrugging while moving her out of sight from the parking lot. She doesn't seem to notice.

"Shit, Paul I really hope you are close by…" I trail off quietly. I look off into the wooded area and can see nothing in the darkness. When I look back in front of me, all I see is Leah lit up from the streetlight.

"Leah, I'm sure your dad didn't mean it that way. He was probably happy for his niece that he forgets what heartbreak feels like and that you were going through it." Leah lets out this growl from her throat that I didn't even think was possible. My eyes widen. "Leah, your dad loves you. He wouldn't do it on purpose. But I know where Sam lives because I was there with Jacob once. I can help you get payback on him."

Leah sighs as her shoulders droop and the lets out a laugh. "Yeah, your right. I don't understand why I want to be so mad at him right now. I was over it all. Thanks for the laugh though, but I'll pass for now."

My shoulders relax in relief. "It's okay. I understand," I say as I put my arms around her. She slowly puts her arms around me as well and gives a little squeeze.

"Awe, what a heartfelt moment," echoes through the forest edge. A clapping sound is heard and I look around frantically. That voice. Fuck that voice sounds so familiar. For a brief second, I see what seems to be a flash of red. "Bella, Bella, Bella. Did you really think you could run and hide from me?" The cat like voice asks as Victoria steps into view.

How the hell did I manage to allow this to happen? Of course, most of the pack is inside of the hospital because of Harry's passing. Paul is preoccupied with Seth. "Who are you, some bully from Bella's school?" Leah asks venomously as she shoves at Victoria. I notice she's shaking once again. That would happen if she's in direct contact with a cold one.

Victoria lets out a chilling laugh while I'm frozen in place. "Awe, Bella has a new bodyguard?" She asks in her high pitched voice. My mouth is opening and closing like a fish. Dammit, mouth! Work! I need to tell Leah to run!

A hand shoots out and grabs Leah's arm. Victoria flings Leah through the air, which causes me to let out a bloodcurdling scream. No! It will be my fault if Leah gets killed. Both her and her father will die because of me. I step forward towards Leah only to find a silver wolf in her place. Leah bares her teeth and moves in front of me in a protective stance. Victoria lets out a primal scream, like she's ready for a fight.

"NO!" I scream as I throw myself in the middle. "Please, Victoria. No more. You can take me. Just leave the pack alone," I beg as I move forward. Leah lets out a warning growl. Victoria, however, has other plans. Backhanding me, I go flying from my spot. I hit a tree with sickening crunches. I can faintly hear a "Bella," being called out as I land on the cold, wet floor.

My hand shakily reaches up to my forehead and I touch something wet. Staring at the dark liquid, I hear a metallic sound and I lose consciousness.

* * *

 _Beep. Beep. Beep._

I move my left hand off my bed to smack at my alarm. Only to be stopped by a tugging sensation. Panic sets in and I can hear the ' _beeping_ ' growing faster. What the fuck? I can feel my body tense.

"Bells?" A gruff voice calls out.

I move my eyes under my eyelids, coercing them to open. After a few moments, I can feel the crustiness moving from their spot and my eyes open to a bright light. "Ack," I exclaim as I squeeze my eyes shut.

"Sorry, I'll close the blinds," the voice I now recognize as Charlie, says.

Testing my eyes again, I notice it isn't as bright as before. I open my eyes all the way and look around. I find Charlie standing at the edge of my bed and a shirtless Jacob asleep by the windows. Deja vu hits me in a weird sense. It reminds me of the time in Jacksonville where I woke up to Renee at the foot of my bed and Edward 'asleep' in the chair. But this time around, I find my arm in a cast.

"Bella, you really have to be more careful. You fell down the stairs and broke your arm. You also hit your head very hard. You cracked it open pretty bad, so there are stitches in your head. Jacob found you," Charlie says as he looks over at Jacob. "I'm not sure why he's shirtless, though. He came to the hospital fully dressed," Charlie mumbles in wonder.

Sitting up, I wince when I put some pressure on my broken arm. "Oww," I cry out. I prop myself up on my pillows and cradle my hand close to my chest. "I'll be more careful, dad." I tell him. "Go back to Sue, I'll be fine here. I'll wake Jacob up."

Charlie hesitates before asking. "Are you sure, Bells?" He looks me over trying to find a reason to stay back.

"Yes, dad, I'm sure. I'm fine. You should be with Sue. She needs a shoulder to lean on."

Charlie nods and mumbles to himself. "Alright, kiddo. I'll go with Sue. But as soon as you need me, please don't hesitate to get a nurse to call me."

"I promise I'll call when I need you."

Charlie ducks out of the room with his jacket in his hands. I let out a sigh and shift in the bed. "Jake, wake up." There was no movement. He didn't even budge. "Dammit, Jake. I have questions. Wake. Up." With nothing from Jake, I grow angry. I pull the oxygen reader off my finger and chuck it at him. Jake flinches and his eyes snap open before quickly looking around. "About time you got up."

"Bells!" He exclaims in relief as he jumps up out of his seat. "Thank God you're okay! Facing death twice in one day! Do you know how worried I was when I found you laying on the ground covered in blood? With no one in sight?"

"What do you mean no one in sight?" I ask in a panic. "Leah and Victoria was both there!" I attempt to get out of bed, but the dizziness I'm feeling has me falling back against my pillows.

Jacob rushes over and puts his hand on my shoulder. "Woah, woah, woah. Calm down, Bells. Paul and Seth realized that Leah phased. Paul recognized Victoria through Leah's thoughts and took off towards her with Seth on his trails. Leah was fighting Victoria without knowing anything about Cold Ones. I'm so sorry I didn't believe you about her going to phase. But what the hell were you thinking, Bella! You could have died!"

Staring down at my hands, I answer, "I didn't think Victoria was going to be out there. I took Leah outside to try and calm her down, but when Victoria showed up and touched Leah… she phased." I slowly look up. "Jake, I'm so sorry. If Leah got hurt because of me…" I trail off.

Jacob lifts his hand to my face and brushes my hair behind my ears. "Leah is fine, Bells. She managed well against Victoria. She did get banged up a bit, but healed quickly. Leah managed to rip Victoria's head off. Seth and Paul got there in time to start a fire to burn the red head. Bella, she's gone. Victoria is dead and never coming back."

I let out my breath in a loud woosh. I hadn't even realize I was holding it in. "I need to go see Leah. I-I need to thank her!" I exclaim as I swing my legs over the bed. I move to get up but Jacob puts his hand on my shoulder again. Pushing me back down onto the bed.

"Relax, Bells. You aren't going anywhere. Nowhere near Leah. She's a young werewolf and can phase any moment if the wrong thing is said."

I shove at Jake's hand. "She won't hurt me!" I yell. However, his hand won't budge. "Please, Jake," I cry out. "I need to see Leah!"

"No, and that's final. You need to rest and get better." He says placing his hand on top of mine.

Angrily, I rip my hand away and face the opposite direction of him. "Just leave me alone," I whisper as tears fall from my eyes.

"Bells, I'm sorry. I just can't-"

"I said go. Please," I plead.

I hear Jacob sigh and I can feel my bed shift as he stands at his full height. The footsteps fade as he walks out the door and shuts it behind him. I fall back against the bed in defeat and let the tears flow.


	5. Chapter 4 Unlikely Friendship

In a review, sarahmicaela88 asked me a good question. I feel that is should be answered for all to see. I hope this answers any questions y'all might be having.

 _Q: Why does she feel the need to go to Leah so badly?_

 _A: Bella feels this type of pull to help Leah because she is another female. (Don't take this the wrong way). Bella understands what it's like to be overlooked. Her opinion was often overlooked by Edward and Leah is being overlooked by the pack. No one seems to think a female will phase within the pack. But Bella recognized the signs. She knows Seth Clearwater just phased into a wolf, so her brain is thinking "Why can't Leah?". After ignoring Jake saying that she wouldn't, she decides to go to Leah because she doesn't want to risk anyone in the hospital seeing or possibly getting hurt. (In some weird sense, going to Leah is Bella's way to that the pack for going after Victoria.) Also, on top of this she can tell there is some type of history between Leah, Sam, and Emily. Once they get talking, she understands Leah on some type of level. This brings out a great relationship between them in the future :)_

Now that that is out there, please feel free to read the story! Don't forget to review. I will welcome anymore questions or concerns anyone might have. It will help me become better.

* * *

 **Chapter 4. Unlikely Friendship**

After a few hours of sitting in the hospital bed crying, I finally stop to get myself together. I dry my tears and sit myself up. I just want to get out of here. Maybe Charlie will take me him? I'm not really in the mood of having Jacob take me. Reaching over to my bedside table, I pick up my phone and dial Charlie's number. Within a few minutes he picks up slightly panicked. "Bells? Are you okay?" He asks quickly.

"Yeah dad, I'm fine. I was just wondering if I can get out of here?"

I can hear Charlie sigh in relief. "I'm sure you can. Let me go see the doctor about discharge papers."

"Thanks, dad. See you in a few," I say smiling softly. I hand my phone up and glance around the room. I notice the multiple machines scattered about and attached to me. There is a tv that's on and muted. Some news channel is on reporting about something to do with a school. I don't bother turning it up because i'm not too interested in watching the news. I keep looking around, the bathroom door was open and whoever was in there left the light on.

Within a few minutes of examining a room, a nurse comes into the room. "Hello dear. Your father is signing some paperwork, so I'm here to get you ready to go."

I smile at the lady. "Thank you Nurse…"

"Oh, my apologies! You can call me Nurse Helen," she smiles sweetly.

I grin back. "Thank you Nurse Helen."

I sit quietly as Nurse Helen makes her way around the machines. She detaches the oxygen monitor from my finger first. After that, she indicates to my shirt. I pull it up for her as she quickly makes work of taking off the wires attached to my chest. She quickly tells me they are for monitoring my heart rate. Once my shirt is back down, Nurse Helen goes to remove the IV from my arm. Starting to feel a little squeamish, I turn my head. I'm not ready to see the blood and then have that rusty smell floating through the air. I decide breathing through my nose wouldn't help me, so as she removes the IV, I take deep slow breaths through my mouth. I feel the small tug and then the cotton ball placed over the little hole made by the needle.

"Here, raise your arm. It will make the blood stop much faster," Nurse Helen instructs as she slowly raises my arm.

I comply, not wanting to have the blood flowing as I'm leaving. While Nurse Helen is disposing of the multiple items I was using while here, Charlie walks into the room. "Hi, Bells," he mumbles.

"Hi, dad," I reply.

Nurse Helen smiles at the two of us when Charlie comes beside my bed. "Alright, dear. Now the doctor prescribed some pain medication in case your head or arm starts bothering you. You need to take it easy for a few days, so this means no going to school until a doctor clears you," she instructs handing Charlie a prescription no doubt unable to be read. I chuckle as Charlie squints.

"What is it they are prescribing her?" He asks a warily.

Nurse Helen laughs and waves Charlie off. "It's nothing serious. It's just ibuprofen with a higher dose than the over-the-counter ones at a pharmacy. But, it must be taken with food and a nice glass of water. We don't want you having an upset stomach now," she jests while poking my stomach.

I crack a smile while sitting myself up on the edge of the bed. Charlie goes to the chair to bring me my shoes. I was glad they decided to just leave me in Jacob's clothes. I would be very embarrassed if I had to walk through the hospital in their open-backside gowns. I shudder at the thought. Nurse Helen excuses herself to go get me a wheelchair. According to hospital policy, anyone who receives a head injury is not allowed to walk out of the hospital without the assistance of a wheelchair. I can't stop myself from rolling my eyes.

* * *

Once we leave the pharmacy in La Push, Charlie starts us on the road to home. I relax back into the seat and rest my head on my arms. With the trees passing by quickly, a thought comes to mind. "Dad?"

Charlie glances over at me before looking back to the road. "Yeah, Bells?"

Pursing my lips, "Did Leah go home?"

"I believe so, why?"

Jake is going to be so mad at me… but, "Do you think it would be okay if I spend the night with her? I know it's already late, but I assume Sue will be staying at the hospital until she is ready. And I don't think Leah or Seth should be alone." I glance at Charlie while biting my lip. I'm being so selfish, but I need to know for myself that she is okay.

"You want to have a sleepover with Leah pretty much?" His focus is on the road. "I wasn't aware you knew Leah well."

A small smile plays on my lips. Oh I think I know her real well now. "I was talking to her while you and Billy were with Harry," I whisper. "I just think she'd like the company."

I'm still looking at Charlie while he stays quiet for a few moments. "Alright, I'll take you to Leah's. Do you need me to bring you some clothes?" He looks over pointedly at my attire.

Laughing, I shake my head. "No dad. I'll be fine. I'm sure Leah wouldn't mind letting me borrow an outfit." I say this so Charlie isn't worried. In truth, I'm not sure how she will react. At this point, I notice Charlie turns right onto a smaller road.

"I'm sure she will," he states. "I'm glad you are looking out for them, Bells. They are going to need someone to lean on." A sad smile graces his lips.

After a few more minutes of driving, Charlie pulls up to a small house. A street light illuminates the house and I can see that the house is navy blue and white. It screams homey. When Charlie parks, I unbuckle my seatbelt and open the door. As I'm stepping out, I see Paul out of the corner of my eye. He's shaking his head as he disappears into the woods. Shit, looks like Jake will know I'm here sooner rather than later.

When I shut my door, I start walking around the front of the cruiser. "Bella, I'll wait here in case she doesn't want any visitors."

I nod with a smile and walk up to the front door. Timidly, I knock, hoping that it will be Leah who answers. With my luck, it is. I smile warmly at her and she breaks out in a big grin. "Bella!" She exclaims throwing her arms around my next. "I'm so glad you're okay!"

"Me? I'm ecstatic that you're okay!" I quickly hug her back.

"What are you doing here?" She questions after we pull apart.

I fiddle with my fingers. "Well, I wanted to come check on you. And then an idea popped in my head. Would it be okay if I stayed over for the night?"

A smile so big spreads across her face. "Bella, I'd be honored if you stayed over. They explain that you know about us, so I won't have to worry about keeping it a secret!" She moves to step aside to let me in. I turn to Charlie, giving him a thumbs up before waving a goodbye. He drives off after a minute once I start following Leah inside.

Once Charlie is gone, Paul strides up the porch before Leah can shut the door. "Jacob is going to be so pissed at you once he finds out," he sneers.

Leah and I glance at each other before a small giggle escapes through my lips. I slap my hand over my mouth because this isn't the best time to laugh. "Tell him to suck it up, buttercup."

Paul's eyes grow wide as Leah agrees with me. "Yeah, Bella's safe with me. I wouldn't hurt her. Remember I _saved_ her," Leah gloats while shutting the door in Paul's face.

* * *

After Leah sets me up with a pair of her pajamas, we are settled on her bed with a cup of tea each. The television show she had one when I first arrived was muted. Seth was being kept out with the pack. And right now, she's in the middle of telling me the full story involving her, Sam, and Emily.

"When Sam and I started going out freshman year, I was ecstatic! I was in complete bliss because he was such a gentleman towards me. My mother and father loved him. We would go on date every friday night, it was our little tradition. Before I knew it, I fell in love with him. I hadn't told him yet, because I wanted him to say it first. For the first time after three years, he asked me to go out with him on a Saturday night.

I wasn't sure what he had planned for that night, but one thing was for certain. I was positive he was going to finally tell me he loves me. But right before our date, he just up and disappeared. Everyone was searching for him. My father was calm though, I didn't understand. It was like he understood what Sam was going through. Me however, I thought that was his was of freaking out. Was he scared to tell me that he loved me? After he was missing for a week, I thought the worst. Maybe something bad had happened to him.

Two weeks after he disappeared, he returned. He wasn't giving anyone an explanation as to where he went. He was acting strange and decided to cut his hair. I gave him space, Bella, I figured he could sort it all out. But when Emily came to visit me… It's like his love for me vanished with the snap of his fingers. He ran from the house without any reason at the time, but I remember him coming to my house the same night. He broke up with me.

A few days later, he told me how he was going to pursue Emily. I was furious. I was thinking that I wasn't good enough for him. I was relying on Emily's rejection toward him, but she never turned it down. I became a shell of myself. I was bitter towards them and anyone I saw in a relationship. It was a lot worse when my father approved of their relationship while I was hurting."

A purse my lips while listening to her story. It's a shame that something like that had to happen to her. But being in the loop about the wolves and everything about them, I knew about imprinting and how it works. I glance up at her, wondering if maybe they explained any of that to her before she phased back into herself. Before I could open my mouth, she continues into a new story.

"Do you know how confused I was, after shredding that redhead? I remember focusing back on the world when I heard his voice. I really thought I was going insane. I thought God was making me suffer and loved it. But I felt not only my pain, but his as well. And then all of a sudden it was like I was looking through Sam's eyes. I was seeing everything about that ordeal from his point of view. But as fast as it came, it was gone," she admits. She was staring down into her cup of warm tea. She slowly brings it up to her lips and takes a sip.

Biting my lip, I shift on her bed. "I'm assuming they haven't talked about imprinting before you turned back?"

"Imprinting," the word falls off of her tongue before shaking her head. "I heard it mentioned in my mind, but no. No one clarified. Do you know what it is?"

I nod. "Yeah, I know what it means. Would you like to know? You might understand a bit better," I say softly.

"Please," she whispers.

"Jacob once explained it to me. He said, _It's not like love at first sight, really. It's more like… gravity moves… suddenly. It's not the earth holding you here anymore, she does… You become whatever she needs you to be, whether that's a protector, or a lover, or a friend._ For a wolf, it's like mating for a vampire. Vampires mate for life and it literally almost kills them when away from their mate. And what happened with Sam, he imprinted on Emily. It's not something they can control. And if they deny it, it can be bad."

Leah sucks in a deep breath. "Ahh, I see," she whispers. "It explains so much now," I can see her shoulders slump, as if she can finally relax. "I wasn't the person he was meant to be. I understand now. I finally understand what he meant while he broke up with me." Leah lets out a small laugh. It quickly turns into more before changing into sobs. "So much," she repeats between sobs.

I quickly grab her tea and place both of ours onto the dresser. I wrap my arms around her and let her cry it out. I rub my hand in soothing circles on her back. "It's okay. Let it all out."

Once Leah calms down, she wipes her tears while apologizing profusely. I wave her off because honestly, she's nowhere near my breakdown. I stand up and grab our tea so I can reheat them. "How hot would you like it?"

Leah stands up to follow after me. "Not too hot, please."

We head to the kitchen and I place the mugs into the microwave. I press the thirty second button. I want to say it's about two in the morning when the loud knocking startles us both. Our head snaps to the door. Leah moves toward the door, but my head reaches out and grabs hers. Leah brushes it off. "It's okay. I'm a wolf remember? They can't hurt me," Leah whispers.

I'm frozen in place as Leah stalks towards to door quietly. She unlocks the deadbolt quickly then places her hand on the handle and turns slowly. When the door is cracked, I can hear her sigh in relief before opening it all the way.

Jacob Black was standing right before us with fury burning in his eyes.

I gulp loudly. Fuck, he's pissed alright.

* * *

"I just can't believe you would go behind my back and purposely search Leah out!" He yells at me, while Leah and I are sitting on her couch. My head is lowered towards the ground. "I told you how dangerous she could be. She's a young wolf, for Christs sake!" Jacob begins pacing. "And I had to find out from Paul of all people that you were here. I found out hours after you got here. You don't understand the heart-wrenching feeling that was going through me. I didn't know if I would come here with you alive or ripped to shreds because she," he points at Leah, "couldn't stay calm!"

"Hey!" Leah and I both scream as we stand up.

"I'm in perfect control," Leah sneers at Jacob.

"I knew she wouldn't hurt me," I add on. "If she was going to hurt me, it would have been while she was fighting Victoria. But did she? No. She fucking saved me Jacob Black," I spit while pushing his chest. I knew it wouldn't do anything. He stayed in place, but a smile tugged at his lips.

"How dare you question the judgment of the only person who believed in me. I heard it in their thoughts. No one believed I was going to phase. You all brushed her off. You, Jacob Black, put her in risk the moment you did so," Leah says in low voice. I could tell Leah was starting to get angry. "If you want someone to blame for the danger she was supposedly in while in my care, blame yourself."

Taking a deep breath, Leah gets up and heads to the microwave. She pulls out our cups of tea and comes back handing me mine. She takes a huge gulp while waiting for Jake to reply.

However, he seems deep in thought. "You're right," he whispers.

Leah and I glance at each other in shock. "What?" I ask confused. Did we just hear him right?

"You're right. I did put Bella in danger. Because I didn't believe her, she took it upon herself to help you. In doing so, she was put in the crosshairs of Victoria and if it wasn't for you, Bella could be dead. So, thank you, Leah," Jacob admits.

"Uh, I, um," Leah was speechless. Neither of us expected this. "You're welcome?" She says more like a question rather than a statement. I slowly take a sip of my tea.

"But, you're not staying overnight, Bells. You can come back to my house and sleep there."

"Huh? But, Jake!"

Jacob shakes his head. "No, no buts. Leah may be in control now, but I do not want to risk it. Okay?" He says softly.

Leah places her hand on my arm. I turn to look at her. "It's okay, Bella. We got our talk in. And there will be plenty of more to come. We're wolf girls. Well, you're not, but you know what I mean. You're apart of the pack," Leah states.

I grin. "Yeah, I guess I am. We can continue this more once you get more time in as a wolf. I'm sure Jacob will relax then." To that, Jacob nods vigorously.

Placing my mug in the sink, I scoop up Jacob clothes and follow after him. I give a small wave to Leah and she reciprocates with a wave of her own and a smile. I follow Jake out to the motorcycles and put the helmet on. Biting my lip, I straddle the seat behind him. He revves the engine and takes off into the night. Laying my head against his back, I take in the speed at which he's going and close my eyes.


	6. Chapter 5 Nightmare

**Chapter 5. Nightmare**

When we arrive at Jake's, I yawn as he cuts the engine. He doesn't bother parking the bike in the garage, so I hope it will be fine outside his house. Jake steps off the bike and turns to quickly help me off, taking my helmet off for me as well. I wrap my arms around myself as I feel the cool wind against my bare arms. My cast scraps against my side.

"Come on," Jacob whispers while placing his hand on the small of my back. He leads me up his steps and into his house.

My hand begins to throb as we walk into the living room. I pull my pain medication out from the pocket of Leah's pajama pants. It rattles as I push down and twist the cap off. I grab out a ibuprofen pill and moves toward the kitchen to grab a glass of water. Ignoring what Nurse Helen told me about eating and drinking while taking it, I realize just this once won't hurt me.

"You can sleep in my bed, Bells."

Shaking my head, I turn to him. "And you sleep on the small couch? I don't think so. I'm small enough for the couch, so you can sleep in your own bed." I place my cup in the sink then head to the couch. I sit down and stretch out.

"But, Bells. It's not right to make you sleep on the couch," he whines.

I snort and place my arm over my eyes. "Jacob Black, I am going to sleep right here and you're going to leave it like that."

"Alright Miss Bossy," Jake snickers. "When your back hurts in the morning, don't come complaining to me."

Laughing him off, I close my eyes under my arm. I hadn't realized just how tired I am. I mean, it is like two thirty probably three in the morning. After a few minutes, I feel a blanket being placed over top of me. "Good night, Bells," Jake whispers while walking out of the room. Before I know it, I lose myself to sleep.

* * *

 _Standing on my front porch, I wave goodbye to Charlie. He's on his way to work. It's a Saturday for me, so i'll be staying home here cleaning up around the house. I head back into the house with a small smile on my face. Perfect day to listen to some music while cleaning around the house._

 _Pulling my ipod out of my pocket, I switch it on and pull out the headphones. I hook it up to my wireless speakers that's in the living and blast my playlist. I quickly start the laundry that's sitting in the basket. Getting this done first will leave me a lot more time to clean everything else. Once it's started, I move to the kitchen and clean any dirty dishes in the sink._

 _While cleaning, I get this strange sense of being watched. I look out of the window over the sink and see nothing. I spin around in my kitchen and yet again, nothing. What is wrong with me? I'm in my own home yet I don't feel safe. I slowly turn back to the sink and pick up a sponge. I squirt dish soap on it and scrub Charlie's coffee mugs._

 _I hear a creak through the loud music playing which makes my breath catch in my throat. I turn around again. I gasp and drop the mug that's in my hands when I come face to face with crimson eyes._ Vampire. _The tall blond vampire stared at me with his head cocked to the right. "What does she want with you? Some measly girl."_

 _I stand there, frozen. The man curls his lips over his teeth. "She's so fixated on you. What did some stupid human do to hurt her?" He asks as if I know what he's talking about. "And now she's missing. So I will do what she's been wanting to do. I'll kill you. Yes," he says to himself. "Yes, I'll kill you myself."_

 _The red eyed vampire launches at me while a scream catches in my throat._

I bolt upright, panting. I look around frantically taking in my surroundings. Jacob's house. Right. Light is barely seeping through the windows which means it's early morning. I place my hand over my heart, will the frantic beating to slow down. Waking up from a nightmare is always the worst.

The problem about this nightmare is that it felt so real. But then again, when don't they? Sitting up, I wrap the blanket around me. I stand up and move around the couch towards Jake's room. I swipe at my face, not realizing I had been crying. I quietly open the bedroom door and move towards his bed. I reach my hand out and touch his arm. I shake him gently hoping he'll wake up.

Jake groans softly. His eyes open briefly then close. I decide to shake him again. This time, Jake opens his eyes longer and takes me in. "Bells?" He questions sleepily. He rubs his eyes and sits up. "What's wrong?" He asks quickly once he takes in the state I'm in. His hand reaches up and softly brushes under my eyes. The tears that were there, were taken by the swipe of his fingers.

"I had a nightmare. A vampire was about to kill me. He almost succeeded," I mumble.

Jacob frowns and opens his arms to me. "Oh, Bells. It's okay. It's not real and you're safe. We got Victoria. No one else will come after you. I won't allow it. Okay?" I nod while I move into his arms, sitting on his lap. Jacob wraps his arms around me and squeezes. I rest my head on his shoulder and sigh in relief. The anxiety I was feeling, dissipates while I'm in Jacob's embrace.

Jacob runs his hand up and down my arm in a soothing manner. "It's okay, Bells. Go back to sleep. I got you." Nodding again at Jake, I close my eyes.

* * *

The first thing I notice when I wake up is how comfortable and warm I am. Blinking a few times, I find that the room is illuminated from the sun. I sit up slowly, the blankets falling off of me like melted butter. I glance around the room and find myself alone in bed. Wasn't Jake here last night? Why do I have three blankets on top of me?

Getting out of his bed, I stretch once standing. I move to the door and open it. When I come into the living room, I find Jake asleep on the couch. I frown noticing him half on the couch half off. Why did he come out here? Why not just move me back to the couch. Rolling my eyes, I move to the kitchen. Jacob's soft snoring can be heard as I rummage through the fridge. I pull out the eggs and cheese. A nice omelet will taste good on my empty stomach.

I think back to last night. That nightmare I had was very strange. What did the vampire mean when he kept saying 'she'? It did scare me to the point I ended up crying. I still can't believe Jake let me come to him. He was very understanding and was able to calm me enough to fall back asleep. Why didn't he just stay sleeping in bed. I wouldn't have minded. I feel really bad that he had to go sleep on the small couch. I frown.

Shaking my head, I go about quickly making a cheese omelet for myself. I hear Jacob yawn and stretch in the living room after I slip my omelet onto a plate. Grabbing a couple more eggs, I break them into the bowl and beat them. I pour the eggs into the frying pan. The sizzling of the eggs cooking is music to my ears. After adding the cheese, I put the rest of the eggs and cheese back into the fridge. Jacob walks into the kitchen as I take a bite of my omelet.

"Morning," I say covering my mouth. I wasn't about to let him see the food I was chewing.

"Mornin'," Jake mumbles.

I turn the stove off once Jake's eggs are done. I plate his eggs and place it on the table. Grabbing my plate, I move to the seat across from his. Jake grabs two glasses and fills them with orange juice before sitting down. He slides me my glass while digging into his breakfast. "Thank you," I say softly while I take a bunch of omelet onto my fork.

"For what?" He questions.

"For last night. You didn't have to do that," I state.

Jacob lets out a small laugh. "Bells, you were upset. I couldn't just let my best friend go back to sleep without calming her down." Jacob shoots me a bright smile before he goes back to eating his omelet. I smile back and work on eating my omelet.

After we finish eating, Jacob cleans the dishes while I take one of my ibuprofens. "I'll have to head home soon. Hopefully Charlie didn't come to Leah's this morning to pick me up. I don't know how I'll explain that I ended up at your house," I giggle. "Charlie will take it the wrong way," I joke.

Jacob cracks a smile. "Yeah, knowing Charlie he will. But there's no need to worry. I told him last night that I'll make sure you get home because I know he has work today. He seemed fine with me grabbing you from Leah's. He just doesn't know what time I did pick you up," he winks at me.

Laughing, I slap his arm. "Come on, let's head to my house." Jacob finishes drying his plate and heads to the front door. We both put our shoes on and head outside. I stop short when I find my truck in front of me. "How did this get here?" I ask confused.

"Oh, your truck? Jared found it when he was patrolling last night after Paul. He brought it back for you. He figured you would like it sitting in your driveway when Charlie got home."

Smiling, I nod. "Yeah, I supposed I should have it when I'm home." I move forward off the porch and grab the driver's handle.

"Woah, wait. You're not gonna be driving," Jake states as he picks me up and spins me away from the door. I turn to face him with a pout.

"What do you mean I'm not driving?"

Jacob holds up my keys and spins them on his finger. "Exactly what I said. You won't be driving. You sustained a head injury. I'll drive you home."

"But-"

"No buts, Bells. I can run home when it's time to go."

Groaning, I roll my eyes and head to the passenger side. I throw the door open and climb inside. After my seatbelt is on and Jake is settled into the driver's seat, I lean back with a huff. He starts my truck and the usual bang and click allows the truck to erupt to life.

Once we get to my house, Jake settles onto the couch while I flutter around the kitchen preparing dinner for tonight. I decide to make shepherd's pie, something nice and easy. Once everything is put together into the dish, I place it in the fridge for later. All I'll have to do is turn the oven on and bake it for a half hour.

I walk into the living room and curl up beside Jake on the couch. He's flipping through the channels trying to find something to watch. Minutes later, he settles on a movie. I'm not sure the title of it, because I hadn't caught it, but Jake seems to have seen it before. I glance up and see the smile gracing his face. It infects me with a smile of my own and I turn back to the television.

* * *

When the move was over and a few loads of laundry were done, Jake come up to my room to help me write my homework out. Turns out, my left handed writing is worse than Jake's chicken scratch. This is the worst part about breaking your dominant writing hand. I'm lucky that I'm able to read his handwriting. At least the teachers will be able to read his rather than trying to decipher mine. I'm hoping that once I go back to school, the teachers will allow me to type on my laptop when taking notes.

I wonder if Charlie called the school to let them know what is going on? I feel horrible because I missed quite a bit of school when _he_ first left me. I was a shell that just sat in my room and stared out the window. To me, it only felt like hours. But according to everyone else, it was a week and a half before I moved around the house on my own. Charlie was always bringing me food, trying to get me to eat. But I would only have a few bites and be done with it.

Nightmares of mine would constantly wake Charlie up, giving him a little amount of sleep each night. Charlie had commented a little while ago, saying that spending time with Jake seems to help me. And I guess he's right in a way. _It was Jacob himself. Jacob was a perpetually happy person and he carried that happiness with him like an aura, sharing it with whoever was near him. Like an earthbound sun, whenever someone was within his gravitational pull, Jacob warmed them. it was natural, a part of who he was. No wonder I was so eager to see him._ He's my own personal sun. He warms the darkness within me that I feel from my heartbreak.

Hearing Jacob sigh, I glance up to find him glaring at my alarm clock.

"What is it?" I ask sitting up a little confused.

"It's two thirty-eight. I'm gonna have to get going because it's my turn to patrol soon," Jake admits.

Frowning, I stand up closing my textbook. "Alright," I mumble. I place my textbook and notebook onto my desk.

Jake stands up and stretches. "Do you think I can come over tonight after my patrol?"

I can't help the grin that spreads across my face. "Yeah, you can come. Do you know what time it will be around?"

"Yeah, it should be around midnight. Think you'll still be up?"

I nod. "Of course. I'll probably be typing up my research paper for English since it will be due the day I go back to classes. Shall I leave my window open?" I think back to the time Jacob came to visit me. It was the time where he was ignoring me and he came here to drop hints. To make me think about why he was ignoring me. That was the night I dreamt of the Quileute legends and realized they were true.

"Yes, I'll come up through the window."

A small pain stabs at my heart, but I fight it. Climbing through the window is what Edward would always do. I squeeze my eyes shut and open them quickly. I was glad my back was to him. He doesn't need to see my pain. "Good. I'll see you tonight. Now, let's get you out there before Sam yells at you."

We head downstairs and I walk Jake to the door. "Hey, you should probably get out of those pajamas before Charlie gets him. You don't want him thinking you weren't being lazy," he winks jokingly and I can't help but laugh.

"Yeah, I'll get right on it, Jake. Will you give these back to Leah tonight after you come over?"

"Of course. Now, go relax." Jake leans in and hugs me to him. I wrap my arms unsuccessfully around him and squeeze back. "Bye," he mumbles.

"Bye," I reply while I watch him jog off the porch and into the woods. I shut the door softly behind me and head to the kitchen. I make my way to the stove and turn the oven on to four hundred and fifty degrees. While it's preheating, I head upstairs to change out of the clothes Leah allowed me to borrow. I settle into a pair of sweatpants and baggy T-shirt. Gathering the pajamas, I head downstairs and switch over the laundry. I'll make sure Leah gets clean clothes back.


	7. Chapter 6 Sleepless Nights

_Don't forget to review and let me know what you think! I accept all forms of them ranging from negative to positive. They all shape me to be better._

 _Enjoy the new chapter guys. You deserve it!_

 _-KarleighAnn_

* * *

 **Chapter 6. Sleepless Nights**

A month has passed since Harry Clearwater's funeral. School is about to end, with a month and a half left, which has caused me to study and focus on my school work a lot. But when I wasn't doing that, Jacob and I hung out whenever we could. We were either at my house, his, or Emily's. There were a few times that I was allowed over at Leah's but I always had a babysitter.

My arm's still in a cast, sadly. But the doctors say I'm healing beautifully which means I can get it taken off in a week or two. That makes me really happy. The cast has drove me crazy. I can't write with my right hand, so most of the time I am typing. And typing is usually done one handed, since my doctor doesn't want me aggravating my broken arm.

Lately, Charlie has been making sure to spend a lot of time with Billy or I. When he's not at Billy's, he's with me and vice versa. It's like Harry's heart attack scared him into thinking it will happen to him at any moment. It was really weird at first, because we are both the type of people to keep to ourselves. But the more he spent time with me, the more I began to enjoy it. He's my dad and we should be spending more time together than what we used to.

Finally, after a month, I found myself at Leah's house. It's the first time since the hospital, that Jake has allowed me here on my own because he's deemed it safe enough. Leah and Seth have had lessons on how to control their anger. Leah was proving that her control was better than most of them, when within a week, she wasn't getting angry over stupid shit like Seth was. However, Jake still didn't trust it. He gave it a few more weeks before he said that I was allowed in the same room as Leah without another pack member being present.

While Leah was working on her control, I was working on deciphering my nightmares. I was having them constantly now. Every night the same red eyed vampire appeared in my dreams. Like always, he was claiming that I was the cause to some woman's problem. I never told Jake about the nightmares, because I didn't need him worrying.

Its Saturday night and Leah and I are ready to have our much awaited sleepover since it was last interrupted. I'm hoping that I won't have a nightmare while I'm here because I know she wouldn't be able to keep it from the pack. And I know it wouldn't be her fault, it's a wolf thing. They'll see it from her memories. But still, I would like to be able to have some privacy between the two of us.

Sue was currently in the kitchen making dinner while Leah and I were sitting in her room. She has her television turned on while I look through her collection of movies. "What about Legally Blonde?" I ask while holding it up.

"Ohh! I haven't seen that in a while. It works for me," she responds. Leah begins stacking her pillows up against her backboard for extra support. I place the dvd into the disc player and crawl up onto her bed. We both lean back onto the pillows and Leah places a blanket overtop of us. I hold back a laugh. I can only imagine what this might look like. Here sits a twenty year old and an eighteen year old having a sleepover. One is a shapeshifter while the other is human. _Who would have thought?_

Halfway through the movie, Sue calls us for dinner. We pause the movie and head to the kitchen. Seth is already seated while Sue is dishing everything onto plates. I'm mentally drooling at the smell wafting through the kitchen. She made homemade enchiladas and salsa.

Leah and Seth dig right into the food, their wolf stomachs coming out to eat. Sue and I laugh while we start eating ourselves. After dinner is finished, Leah and I offer to clean the dishes. Seth exclaims he has some homework to do before he has to go out with Jared for patrol. Sue lets us know that she'll be in the living room watching television while knitting some scarves. Once the dishes are done, Leah and I go back upstairs to watch the rest of the movie.

When the movie ends, Leah and I are sitting on her bed facing each other. She's painting my toenails when she asks, "So, is there any boys at school who interest you?"

The question is innocent, but I can't stop the flinch when I picture Edward's face. "Ah, no," I mumble, trying to ignore the hole that's starting to open up.

"Jesus, Bella, I'm sorry!" She exclaims screwing the cap on the nail polish closed.

I wave her off. "It's okay. It's been months since he left, but it still hurts to think about him."

Leah shifts on the bed. "You know, you seem to be much better when Jake's around. Is he helping?"

I smile sadly. "Yeah, him being around helps. He keeps the hole in my chest closed for now." I sigh and lean my head onto my knees.

"I think you should try moving on. I'm not trying to be a bitch, but _Edward_ ," she sneers his name, "does not deserve your love anymore. He left, Bella, and he isn't coming back."

All I can do is nod as she start painting my toes again. After a minute, I speak up. "You're right, Leah. I shouldn't be like this after all this time. He left me in September and it's already May. If he was going to come back to me, he would have already…" I trail off.

Leah nods in agreement. "Now, let those dry and we can lie down for bed. We can talk boys tomorrow," she snickers. "I might even tell you the person _I'm_ crushing on."

* * *

 _I'm running through the woods away from something. I can tell it's purposely letting me stay ahead. It wants me to think I have a chance. I let out a scream as I trip over a log. I tumble forward and stretch my hands out hoping to break my fall. I flinch when I scramble to my feet, blood is dripping down my palms._

 _I plead in my head_ , please save me, Edward. _I freeze for a slight second realizing that thinking his name brings no pain to my chest, a fact which causes me to snap out of my frozen state to freak out and run faster._

 _I break through the trees, but quickly halt when I find Jacob standing there. I furrow my brow, wondering what he is doing here._

" _Jake?" I ask, confused._

 _The snap of a twig has me circling around, scanning the treeline. The hair on the back of my neck is standing up. "Hello... human," the blond man purrs as he comes into view. He takes a deep breath and lets out a sigh. "You smell wonderful. And look, you brought me dinner_ and _dessert."_

 _He takes a step closer to me and Jake finally turns to face the vampire. He lets out a growl and moves in front of me. "Back off, Bloodsucker. I'll kill you before you harm a hair on her head."_

 _The blond vampire lets out a laugh. "You? Hurt me?" He laughs again. "I'd love to see you try. I'm here to find out where_ she _is. And why_ she _is so obsessed with_ you _," he says pointedly towards me. "She's dead because of you, isn't she?"_

 _I'm frozen in place behind Jake, gripping his arm tightly. "W-Who?" I stutter out._

 _The vampire launches himself forward, ignoring me. Jake leaps to intercept him, already phasing into a wolf. I cry out as Jake is bitten on the shoulder by this red eyed vampire. Jake lets out a whimper, but doesn't stop from lashing out at the man._

 _I scream as the vampire snaps Jake's neck and throws him in front of my feet. My heart literally breaks in half. No, no, no! Jake! I fall to my knees and sob. I shakily reach out to stroke his fur and grip it tightly. Another person I love is dead because of me._

Love? Yes, you _love_ Jake and now he's dead because of you! Did it really have to take his _death_ for you to realize that you've loved him all this time? To realize that you've been hiding it and denying your feelings!? _My subconscious asks. I can feel a new round of sobs racking out of me._

 _The blond man turns his attention to me. "Her scent is all over him. He's the reason she's dead!" He stalks forward. "Victoria is dead and now you will be too!"_

 _He exposes his teeth while leaping at me. I can't help the blood curdling scream that escapes from my lips._

"Bella!" someone screams while shaking me. I'm thrashing around, hitting whoever is on top of me. "Bella! It's me, it's Leah! Stop it!"

 _Leah._

Snapping my eyes open, I frantically look around. The screaming coming from me has subdued and I can feel myself relaxing. Leah is looking at me with fear in her eyes, confused about my behavior. I sit up clutching my head and I can feel the tears falling fast.

 _There are three things I'm certain of because of this nightmare._

First, Victoria wasn't alone. She found another to follow her and he's coming for me.

Secondly, thinking of Edward brought no pain to my heart.

Thirdly, the feeling deep down inside of me has shone through. I think I'm falling for Jacob Black.

* * *

"So, you've been having these nightmares since Victoria died?" Leah questions me. She has her hand resting on my back. At one point she starts rubbing soothing circles trying to help me calm down.

I nod, not trusting my voice anymore. I tell her every single nightmare in detail. I explain how this one was the worst and that it brought new issues to the surface.

"Have you told Jake about them?" Leah asks softly.

Shaking my head that I haven't, I look up into her eyes. I open my mouth and tentatively try to answer. "N-No. I didn't think it was this bad until tonight. Everything finally pieced together."

Leah shifts on the bed and seats herself in front of me. She places her hand on my shoulder. "Bella, I think we need to let the Pack know about this Vampire thing. Even if it is just a nightmare, which I think it is, it won't hurt to know that for sure, in case it could be true."

I put my chin on top of my knees. I know she's right. It wouldn't hurt to let them know. But what if it just makes them worry _more_ over something that might not even be true? But this blond man… why do I have the feeling I've seen him somewhere before? Sighing, I say, "We can tell the Pack. But only about the blond man. I-I don't want to bring up anything else about my nightmares. Especially not the part about Jacob."

"Wait. Bella… are you _falling_ for _Jacob_?" She asks for clarification. I can't help but nod. "This isn't just because of what _I_ said, is it? About moving on? Because I don't want to see either of you hurt."

I look up into her eyes. "The feeling I have when I'm around Jake, I think I understand it now.I always thought of him as just a brother, but the thing is, the more I'm around him… I am beginning to feel whole again. I am starting to get my life back, and it's all because of him; it makes me ecstatic to think of how far I have come and the progress I have made due to Jake's presence. It's like night and day, compared with where I was. And I think that the connection, which I felt for Jacob, became so much more for me when I saw him dying in my nightmare. It literally felt like I was being ripped to shreds. The pain of it was _way_ more intense than anything I felt when Edward left me"

Leah gasps. "Y-You didn't flinch at his name," she looks me over. "Holy shit! You didn't flinch at Edward's name!" She cheers enthusiastically. "This has to mean your getting over him, right?"

I can feel a small blush spreading over my cheeks. "I-I… Leah, can you try and keep this to yourself for a bit? I need to wrap my head around all of this…" I trail off hoping to change the subject.

Leah snaps her head towards me. "I'm not 'keeping to myself' the fact that Victoria might have a groupie out there somewhere who's after _revenge_ , Bella! I have to tell _that part_ to Sam!" She shouts at me and quickly lowers her voice, remembering it's the middle of the night.

I wave my hands in front of us. "No, no. You can still tell them about nightmare with the blond man, I said that before. But I just need you to keep the Jacob thing under wraps for me, for now. I just… I need time to process this."

Leah relaxes slightly. "Okay, _that_ I can do. Come on. Let's get you some water and get you back to sleep," she says softly while tugging me along.

As we head to get water, I decide to finally answer her question from earlier. "I guess it could mean that. You know the part about me moving on? I mean, I'm still upset about him leaving me and all. But, I don't feel like I'm falling apart anymore. I'm sort of confused by the fact that with just a snap of the fingers, or... well, with one nightmare… the intense pain is just _gone_."

"But that's a good thing though, right? Now you just need to figure out what to do about Jacob. Are you just going to let it go or are you going to try to pursue it? Because I don't want to see either of you get hurt when he turns around and imprints on someone el…" Leah trails off no longer looking me in the eyes.

Sighing, I lean against the counter as Leah pulls out two glasses. "I'm not sure what I'm going to do. I think I still need to let this feeling sink in and think about it. Just earlier before bed, I was still hurt by the sound of Edward's name. It suddenly changed from my nightmare. My feeling for Jake broke through. And I also have the fact of Jake imprinting one day. I don't think I'd be able to handle yet another heartbreak."

I watch Leah pouring water into our glasses while she's nodding at me. "Yeah, I can see where you are coming from." She hands me my water and I greedily gulp it down. "I'll try my best to keep it underwraps when I'm in wolf form, okay? I'll just think of other things," Leah states as we head back to her room.

I smile appreciatively. "Thank you."

* * *

The next morning, Leah and I wake up before anyone else. We decide to let Sue relax, so we start breakfast. Leah is cooking the bacon while I work on making pancakes. Finding the necessary ingredients for my Grandma Swan's homemade pancakes, I happily start making them.

"Can you believe that Paul got angry and phased over the fact _I_ have more control?"

"What?" I ask in disbelief. "He didn't!" I exclaim.

Leah moves her head up and down enthusiastically. "He did! And Sam was on him berating him. Telling him he needs more control."

I throw my head back and laugh. "I can't believe it," I admit while spooning pancake mixture into the pan.

"Well believe it, because I was there too," Seth's sleepy voice flows into the room. I turn and find him strolling around the corner while rubbing his hand up and down his face. He lets out a loud yawn.

"Morning sleeping beauty," I tease.

"Good morning, sweetcheeks," Seth winks. He plops himself onto a chair and leans back in it. "Sam was saying that everyone is gathering at his place. Something about a nice meal for working so hard."

Out of the corner of my eye, I see Leah frown. She quickly composes herself before speaking up, "Good, because I have something to discuss with him anyway."

Seth turns to her with a questioning gaze. "You do? What is it?"

"None ya," She counters and flips her pieces of bacon.

* * *

Three hours later, I find myself on the porch of Sam and Emily's place. Leah was beside me while Seth hung out at the bottom of the stairs. I knock twice and wait. "Coming!" Emily's sweet voice wafts through the door. Within seconds, the door is open and she's ushering us inside.

"Bella, Leah, Seth," She nods at each of us. "It's so great to see you." Emily moves in for a hug.

Seth and I happily hug her back. I notice Leah hesitate for a moment before circling her arms around Emily. "We're here all the time, cousin."

Emily laughs as she pulls pack. "Well I suppose you're right. But it's still nice seeing you all the time." She turns with a smile on her face and heads for the kitchen. "Come, come. Make yourself at home. The rest of the boys will be here soon."

All three of us follow after her. "Is it possible that Bella and I could speak with Sam before the rest get here? It's kind of important."

"Of course! He's just finishing getting ready. He'll be out in a minute."

Seth takes this time to pop behind the counter with Emily and pick up a spatula. "What can I do to help?" He cheerfully asks.

"First, you can put my spatula down because we won't need it." Seth pouts as he puts it back into her cooking utensil cup. Emily picks up a whisk and hands it over to him. "You can use this to stir the gravy that I just put on the stove before you got here."

Seth takes it happily and moves in front of the stove. Emily indicates with her hands how to stir the gravy and Seth complies.

Sam comes in the kitchen as Emily is teaching Seth. Leah quickly hops up, efficiently dragging me to my feet. "Sam we have something we need to talk to you about," she spews.

"Not a problem. Come with me," Sam instructs as he waves toward the doorway.

* * *

After explaining to Sam about my nightmare involving the blond vampire, he told us he'll keep it an eye out. He said he's glad we came to him about it, just in case it could be true. It would be our worst nightmare, but a warning about something like this would help. He told us he'll have a pack meeting tonight before late night patrols, but for right now, he wants to sit and relax with a nice lunch.

By the time we were done talking, Embry and Paul were seated at the table when we walk in. Leah and I head to the counter and take a seat on the bar stools. "What were you guys talking about?"

Leah rolls her eyes. "Nothing that concerns you."

"Of course it concerns me. I'm second in command!" He growls.

"Easy," Sam states in his Alpha tone. "We'll discuss it tonight." Lowering their heads, Leah and Paul nod. "Good. Now, I don't want any fighting. So please, don't antagonize each other," Sam says pointedly to them.

Before they can respond, the front door opens and a 'hooting' sound carries throughout the house. Sam does the 'hoot' back and I can hear the door shut.

"Bells? Are you here, too?" I can hear Jake shout from around the corner.

"Of course she's here. She came with Leah and Seth," Jared states. I hear some shuffling and it makes me wonder if they are wrestling among themselves or something.

Looking up as I hear them come into the room, I smile. Jake is first and is quick to give me his goofy grin. I'm about to open my mouth to say hello, who I notice his eyes grow wide. His jaw becomes slack and he stares at me.

Jared chooses this exact moment to come around the corner. Jake is taking up the whole doorway, so Jared's face smashes right into his back. I can hear a groan come from Jared along with a string of curses. I notice, however, that Jake isn't moving. Instead, his eyes are darting all over me. As if he is soaking me up.

Jake lets out a breathy sigh as he lowers to his knees before me.

"Holy shit," courses through the mouths of everyone in the room beside the frozen Jake and my confused self.

* * *

 _Holy shit is right, guys. ;)_

 **Should I do the next Chapter in Jacob's Point of View? Let me know in a review!**


	8. Chapter 7 Wait, What?

**Chapter 7. Wait, What?**

 _ **Jacob's Point of View**_

 _I'm telling you, Jake. I'm going to beat you._ Jared states while sprinting beside me. He quickly nudges my shoulder before pushing himself ahead of me.

Snorting, I will myself to go faster and overtake him. _Doubt it. I'm the fastest in the Pack. Everyone knows that._

Both of us just got off of patrol to head to Sam's. He wants us to come have a nice relaxing lunch without worrying about the outside world. Easy to do that now, since Victoria is dead. We can all sit down and eat whatever it is Emily is cooking. It's always delicious, so I know I'm in for a real treat. I am hoping that Leah and Bella are there because Sam said they were coming today as well.

 _Bella._

Her name causes me to shiver. I've been in love with her for as long as I can remember. All those years ago when we were making mud pies while our parents hung out, I knew she was my best friend and would always be. I didn't realize I was in love with her until we were in our teens and she started visiting Washington less and less. When she moved back to live with Charlie, I thought I'd have a shot with her. That is until she started getting closer to the Cullens. Thinking of them causes me to let out a growl. Jared agrees with a growl of his own.

When he left her in the middle of the woods, I was furious. Even before I started shifting, I knew I wanted to kill him if he ever showed his face again. And if he does, I don't think I'd be able to stop myself. But I would have too, because it will hurt Bella. Sometimes I wonder how she's still so in love with him after everything he has put her through. I seriously hope he never comes back, because she deserves a normal life to be able to spend more time with Charlie and Renee, have her own family- even if it's not with me, and grow old herself. Picturing Bella as a grandmother makes me smile.

 _Jake, we're coming up to Sam's._ Jared states.

I shake my head to clear my thoughts. I stop before the trees open up and stay behind a bush, just in case there are outsiders nearby. Closing my eyes, I concentrate on a happy memory to help phase back easily. Thinking of Bella and I working on the bikes does the trick. Those were good times. Only two months or so ago, but still, good times.

Pulling on my shorts, I wait outside of the treeline for Jared. He comes jogging up next to me, so we make our way up the porch. I don't bother knocking, since they know we are coming, and walk right in. "Hoo-oo," I chirp out our little signal. Sam responds which tells me they are all in the kitchen.

"Bells? Are you here, too?" I shout out into the house.

"Of course she's here. She came with Leah and Seth," Jared states while punching my shoulder. I grab him by the neck and lock my arm around it. My left hand comes up and ruffles his hair. "Knock it off," he hisses while pushing off of me. I chuckle as he straightens his hair.

I head around the corner into the kitchen and immediately grin at Bella who looks up to me. Once I lock eyes with her, I find myself freezing in the middle of the doorway.

Extreme heat takes over my body. It isn't burning me; it's more like a glowing. Yes, a glowing is exactly what it is. It's causing me to become undone in my place. All of the things holding my life together start escaping my mind. The love for my father, my loyalty to my pack, the love for my brothers and sisters, hatred for my enemies, my home, my name, _myself_ \- gone in a flash.

My body is becoming like jelly before my own eyes. Only one thing is holding me in place. No, not one thing; _someone_. I can see it now, clear as day. Gravity is no longer tying me to the spot I stand.

 _It's her._

My eyes dart up and down her body, soaking her up in all her glory. _Beautiful._ My breath comes out shaky as I sink to my knees. My arms limp at my sides.

"Holy shit," rung out among my brothers and sisters. **(He's considering Emily a sister due to being an imprintee.)**

"Looks like it won't stay under wraps, Bella," Leah mutters to herself but I ignore her.

 _Unbelievable._

Bella still has her eyes locked with mine as she stands up from her stool. I watch her with greedy eyes as she slowly makes her way to me. She lowers to her knees and brings her hand up to my cheek. Closing my eyes, I sigh and lean my head against her hand.

Bella's soft fingers trail over my face. My lips part when she grazes them. When I open my eyes, I find myself staring into her warm chocolate eyes. _Absolutely stunning._

Her eyes roam mine; searching for answers. I've told her what imprinting is, but I don't think I've ever explained what it's like. She must be confused. _I'm_ confused. How is it, that it took me this long to imprint on Bella? Why couldn't I do it when I first phased? I bring my right hand up to her forehead and smooth out the crinkles that had formed from furrowing her brows.

"Are you okay? What's going on?" Bella questions when my hand settles back at my side. "Guys, he's okay right? Guys?" I glance around when Bella does so and find that the Pack left us to be. I'm grateful. I won't have to worry about their comments while trying to explain to Bella what's going on. Bella moves to get up, most likely to go grab someone from the Pack.

"Bella," I whisper softly, reaching out and gently grabbing her hand. She looks down at me, confusion swimming in her eyes. I let go of her hand and slowly stand up. My legs still feel like Jello, but I don't want to worry her any longer. I place my hand on the small of her back and direct her to the kitchen table.

Bella sits down and watches me as I sit in the chair facing her. "Will you tell me what's going on?" She asks quietly.

I nod. "Of course. I just- I need a moment." I run my hands up and down my face. I quickly pinch my cheek, making sure this is real and not a dream. _It's real._ I bring my hands to rest on my lap. "Bells, I'm not sure how to say this. I'm a little confused myself."

Bella leans forward and places her hand on top of mine. "What's wrong?" Her head cocks to the side.

Sighing, I clasp her hand in one of my own. "You remember what I've told you about imprinting, right?"

* * *

 **Bella's Point of View**

"Imprinting?" I question more to myself rather him. I remember him talking about it before and they way he described it. It was about Sam and Emily… "Yeah I remember. It's something you guys do when you find your soulmate. What about it?" _Did he…?_

Jake takes a deep breath and answers the question swimming in my mind. "Bells, I imprinted."

I feel my eyes grow wide. "What?" I ask in disbelief. Shaking my head I clear my throat. "I mean, that's great! She must be a great girl!" I say as enthusiastic as I can. I stare at the ground as I take it all in. Jake imprinted which means I won't be able to spend as much time with him as before. She'll come first for him. And then that means the feelings that are coming to the surface will have to go back under again. I can't let myself come in between him and his happiness.

"Bella. Did you hear me?" Staring at the ground, I shake my head no. "I said, yeah she is a great girl." I can feel my heart breaking. Another person who can break me in half. How will I survive the pain this time. "And she's sitting right in front of me." My head snaps up to look at Jake when I realize what he just said.

"W-what?" I stutter out.

"You, Bells. I imprinted on you."

I feel my breath leave out of me in relief. I hadn't realized I was holding it in. I didn't notice I was wishing it was me until he said it. "Me? I- what. How?" I'm confused, which I'm sure shows on my face. "Why didn't you imprint a while ago? Why now?" I question him.

Jake shrugs. "I'm honestly not sure, Bells. I don't know why it took this long. But I promise I'll be there for you as a friend for as long as you need."

"As a friend?" I whisper and frown slightly. I shake my head quickly. "Do you mind if we talk about this more? Tonight maybe, away from prying ears?" _I'll have to make sure he knows I feel differently._

"Of course. I can take you home after we all eat and we can talk as long as you'd like."

"You don't have to patrol tonight?"

"Nah, Sam allows anyone who imprints a few days off to get things situated in telling their imprintee or working some type of relationship out," he says with his crooked smile.

Standing up from the table, Jake and I head outside. When I open the door, I find Emily and Leah sitting on the porch with no one else in sight. "Where are the boys?" I ask coming up beside them and joining them.

Emily laughs and covers her mouth. "They wanted to get far away in case you two couldn't hold back."

My eyes grow wide at what she says and I hear Jake groan. "I'll go get them and bring them back. Sorry Emily."

"It's no issue. I was glad to step out so you two could talk a bit."

I feel my face turning red, so I duck my head and lean it on Leah's shoulder. She let's out a hearty laugh while shooing Jacob off. Once he's out of sight, Leah pats my shoulder. "So much for keeping your feelings under wraps. Have you told him yet?" She interrogates me.

I smile shyly while looking up at her face. "No, but I plan to tonight. I know he still thinks I love Edward, so I want to make sure he knows that I'm getting over Edward. I want Jake to know that I have feelings for him."

"Well good for you," Emily says. "I'm not entirely sure what is going on with that situation and it's none of my business, but you both deserve happiness. So I wish you both luck."

I sit up straight when I see the boys come into view. "Thanks, Emily. I appreciate it. One of these days I'll tell you what happened last night while I was at Leah's. But for right now, I think everyone is hungry. Just look at them." I nod my head at them.

The three of us laugh while we get up off the steps.

"I agree with Emily, by the way. You both deserve happiness. So go at a pace that makes you comfortable and become the happiest person I know," Leah says while putting her arm around my shoulders.

* * *

After eating a wonderful meal prepared by Emily- Oh, and a little help from Seth, everyone is relaxing in the living room with full stomachs. Leah catches my eye and motions to Sam. I get what she's trying to say. She wants to make sure that Sam lets the pack know what's going on. I nod slowly and lean back into my seat. It just so happens to be next to Jake, so my body is up against his.

Leah sits forward while holding eye contact with me. "Sam, I think it's time to let the pack know about what Bella and I discussed with you earlier."

Sam grunts as he sits up. "I suppose you're right."

I feel Jacob shift and turn to face me a bit. "Bells? What did you guys talk about?" He asks quietly.

"You'll, uh, hear in a second." I mumble. I lean further back in my seat, hoping the couch will swallow me up.

"Bella? I think it would be best if you tell them what's going on. You're the one that's been experiencing it," Leah states. I glance up to find Sam nodding in agreement.

Everyone is staring at me expectantly. I clear my throat. "Um, sure. So the night that Victoria was killed, I had a nightmare. It was a vampire with red eyes, a human drinker. He was talking about this woman he was with, saying that she had a problem with me but she's missing. He moved to attack me, but I woke up. I thought nothing of it, since I'm used to having nightmares since the Cullen's left." A low growl echoes off the walls from the Pack at the mention of the Cullens.

I shake my head and continue. "You see, the nightmares kept coming. Every single night. I had another one last night while I was at Leah's. This time, instead of attacking just me, he attacked Jacob in it while he was trying to protect me. Jake, uh, didn't make it in my dream which meant the vampire turned on me next. He kept talking about the woman and right before he attacked, he said her name. Victoria. My mind keeps telling me that this guy worked with Victoria. I have this strong feeling that he is real and will be coming after me. But another part of me is just telling me it's all made up."

"So, you're saying you're crazy?" Paul asks.

Jacob lets out a growl which causes Paul to put his hands up in surrender. "Who knows. Maybe I am. I just, this vampire looked familiar. Like I've seen him somewhere before." Sighing, I close my eyes.

"Don't worry, Bella, we won't let any harm come to you. We'll keep an eyes out just in case it is true. Jake, your patrols will be at Bella's house. The rest of us will patrol Forks and La Push."

I snap my eyes open. No, no that means more work for them because of me. "Sam, you don't need to!"

"I know I don't need to, but you're an imprintee now. We look after our imprintees. Please get used to it and don't argue."

I huff and sit with my arms across my chest. I don't want them to overwork themselves just because of me.

I watch the others get up and move around the room. They're getting into small groups to talk or moving to the kitchen to get drinks. Jacob sits forward and starts talking with Sam. Probably coming up with a game plan about the possible vampire.

"Why do you think I imprinted now? After all this time of phasing?" Jacob whispers. I can feel my interest peak. So they aren't making plans about the vampire in my nightmare?

"I'm not too sure, Jacob. I have a possible theory but we'll never know for sure."

"A possible theory? Let's hear it." I state as I sit up. Jake and Sam look over at me, not realizing I was listening in.

Sam leans forward while Emily stands up. "I'm going to get us some drinks. Everyone okay with iced tea?"

"Yes, please," I say as Jake and Sam just nod.

I glance over at Sam as he rubs his temple. "Jacob's great-grandfather Ephraim was in the Pack from a few generations ago. He was the leader of the Pack that had my great-grandfather, Levi Uley, and Quil's great-grandfather, Quil Ateara II. There's a story that my mother used to tell me about my great-grandfather Levi. Supposedly, he was in a relationship with a woman when he phased and joined the pack. But because she wasn't imprinted on by him, she was not allowed to know of the shifters.

Turns out, when she was with my great-grandfather shortly after she split up with her boyfriend at the time. He was her rebound. People advised my great-grandfather to not be with her because they felt like she never gave up her emotions for her previous relationship. Which was true. But as time went on, she began to get over her feelings for ex-boyfriend and started falling in love with Levi. Everyone was surprised when Levi imprinted almost a year after phasing on that same girl. Everyone thinks that the reason Levi's shifter form wouldn't imprint was because it knew that she was still in love with someone else."

When Sam finishes, I didn't notice Emily already back at his side. The glasses of water sitting on the table in front of us. "Tell me, Bella, are you no longer in love with Cullen?"

I pick up the glass of water in front of me and take a sip. Keeping my eyes on the rim as I set it down, I whisper. "I guess you could say I'm not in love with Edward anymore. I'm not too sure, though. It's just recently I've noticed a difference in my feelings." _So much for that being talked with Jake in private later._

"Hmm," Sam hums. "It's possible that what's happened with my great-grandparents is what's happening with you guys. Something to think about."

"Yeah, something indeed," Jake mumbles while he looks lost in thought.

* * *

 **Just want to point out:**

 **The description I used to describe the imprinting between Bella and Jacob is somewhat from** _ **Breaking Dawn**_ **when Jacob imprinted on Renesmee. All I did was rearrange how it was written a bit so it was not exactly the same. Still want to make sure I give credit to Meyer!**


	9. Chapter 8 Recovered Addict

_Hello, my wonderful understanding readers! You don't understand how much it means to me that you guys allowed me to have my time to grieve. I'm still in shock over my father's fiance's death because it was so sudden and unexpected. It will be a month on the second since she passed. After I got back in town, I took on a bunch of extra hours at work to take up a bunch of my free time when I wasn't doing school work._

 _Earlier this week I realized that I'm not my regular self. I'm not really expecting to be my regular self overnight, but I figured I could start back up on things that I love. I started drawing yesterday and my first piece is a picture from my high school graduation with my dad and his fiance. While I was drawing, it made me miss my writing. And now that my hand is better- yes I did say better!- I can finally start writing at my usual speed since I'll have both hands to work with. And that's exactly what I did today; I finished this chapter I had started before I got the call._

 _I'm hoping that writing and drawing can be my release and help me cope with this loss. I can't wait to finally get all my ideas out there for my stories for everyone to read. I have another story in the works that I came up with awhile ago, so hopefully you will all love that one too. (That is if I decide to post it- haven't made up my mind just yet)._

 _But anyway, enough babbling from me. Enjoy this update. I'm pretty sure you will all_ _ **LOVE**_ _it. It gets a little hot and heavy *wink wink*_

 _-KarleighAnn_

* * *

 **Chapter 8. Recovered Addict**

My arms are wrapped around Jake's torso as we drive away from La Push and towards my house. I lean my head against his back and close my eyes. _I guess you could say I'm not in love with Edward anymore. I'm not too sure, though. It's just recently I've noticed a difference in my feelings._ Remembering those words from earlier, causes my to hold onto Jake tighter. It's true. Ever since Leah's last night, thinking or talking about Edward hasn't affected me. It was once the feelings I have for Jake came to the surface.

My heart quicken its pace as I think of Jake and I together as a couple. What would it be like? Smiling, I start thinking of all the times we've hung out. Is there something I missed? When exactly did I fall in love with him? And why am I just realizing it now?

* * *

" _I wish your hand would hurry up and get better. You know I have my own homework to do," Jake says as he pokes me with my pen._

 _I giggle and snatch it from him. "And here I thought you were my obedient slave."_

 _Jake gasps dramatically and falls back onto my bed. I giggle again and move my notebook in front of me._

" _I'm sorry you got hurt, Bells. I really am." He sighs softly._

 _I frown to myself. "It's okay, Jake, really. It wasn't your fault, it was Victoria's. I'll be better in no time." I smile over at him and poke him with the pen this time. "And as for homework, start doing yours mister. I can just get Charlie to write for me."_

" _Ah, ah, ah! I'm the obedient slave, remember?" He states as sits back up and he pulls my notebook back towards him. He holds his hand out for the pen and I gently place it back in his open hand._

* * *

 _When we got to the theater, Jacob handed me a ten-dollar bill._

 _"What's this?" I objected._

 _"I'm not old enough to get into this one," he reminded me._

 _I laughed out loud. "So much for relative ages. Is Billy going to kill me if I sneak you in?"_

 _"No. I told him you were planning to corrupt my youthful innocence."_

 _I snickered, and Mike quickened his pace to keep up with us._

* * *

 _"What?" he asked, suddenly self-conscious._

 _"Nothing. I just hadn't realized before. Did you know, you're sort of beautiful?"_

 _Once the words slipped out, I worried that he might take my impulsive observation the wrong way._

 _But Jacob just rolled his eyes. "You hit your head pretty hard, didn't you?"_

 _"I'm serious."_

 _"Well, then, thanks. Sort of."_

 _I grinned. "You're sort of welcome."_

* * *

 _"Now this is crucial, Bella," Jacob stressed. "Don't let go of that, okay? I want you to pretend that I've handed you a live grenade. The pin is out and you are holding down the spoon."_

 _I squeezed tighter._

 _"Good. Do you think you can kick-start it?"_

 _"If I move my foot, I will fall over," I told him through gritted teeth, my fingers tight around my live grenade._

 _"Okay, I'll do it. Don't let go of the clutch."_

 _He took a step back, and then suddenly slammed his foot down on the pedal. There was a short ripping noise, and the force of his thrust rocked the bike. I started to fall sideways, but Jake caught the bike before it knocked me to the ground._

* * *

 _"So where to, Mr. Goodwrench?" I asked as soon as the door closed behind Billy._

 _Jacob pulled a folded paper out of his pocket and smoothed it out. "We'll start at the dump first, see if we can get lucky. This could get a little expensive," he warned me. "Those bikes are going to need a lot of help before they'll run again." My face didn't look worried enough, so he continued. "I'm talking about maybe more than a hundred dollars here."_

 _I pulled my checkbook out, fanned myself with it, and rolled my eyes at his worries. "We're covered."_

 _It was a very strange kind of day. I enjoyed myself. Even at the dump, in the slopping rain and ankle-deep mud. I wondered at first if it was just the aftershock of losing the numbness, but I didn't think that was enough of an explanation._

* * *

"If _we're going to do this every day, and hopefully we are. We've got to fit some homework in I don't want Billy thinking I'm a bad influence," I admit while playing with the wrench._

 _Jake scoffs and looks up at me. "You influence me? Please." He rolls his eyes and goes back to working on the bikes._

 _I toss the wrench to the side. "Umm I'm older than you; making you the influencee and me the influencer."_

" _But my size and knowledge base makes me older than you, due to your general paleness and lack of know how," he fires back._

" _I convinced you to build two wheeled death machines don't you think that makes you kind of young and naive?" I gloat while standing up to stretch._

" _Ok so where do we stand?"_

 _I smirk. "I'm 35. You might be like 32."_

" _Oh, come on," Jake mumbles._

* * *

"Bells? We're here," Jake says as I come back to reality. I shake my head and lean back. I slowly unwrap my arms from Jake's torso. I slip off of the bike and take my helmet off.

Yeah, I can see where I fell in love with him. His carefree attitude always causes me to smile. When I'm with him, it's as easy as breathing, just like he said. I was just too blinded to see because I was still so into Edward to notice. Jake has always looked out for me and wanted to make sure I was having fun. He let me learn from my mistakes on my own rather than taking the choice away from me like Edward did. Edward always made the choice for me.

With a gasp, the helmet falls from my hands. It landed with a thud on the ground. My God, Edward _really was_ like a drug to me. He was my own personal brand of heroine that I couldn't get enough of. I hung onto every word that came out of his mouth and praised the ground he walked on. And he had this control over me that turned me into the shell I was when he left. I was like an addict going through withdrawal needing my fix of Edward. But every addict can recover if they chose to.

"Bells?" Jake asks with alarm and shakes me gently.

I look up at Jake with a small smile plastered on my face. _I know I have chosen too._ I reach forward and grab his hand. "I'm okay. I just realized something surprising is all. Come, let's talk," I say tugging his hand and head up my front steps. I'm finally free of my feelings for Edward Cullen.

* * *

Once inside, I head straight to my room. If Charlie comes home early, I wouldn't want him hearing our conversation if we had it downstairs. At least with us sitting in my room, I'll be able to hear the front door or the steps. We can always stop and continue it later. But I hope we can get it all out in the open before Charlie comes home.

"So, you said you'd be there for me as a friend, right?" I ask, hoping to start from where we left off. I climb onto my bed and pat the spot next to me.

Jake slowly sits down and brings one of his legs up onto the bed while the other hangs off loosely. "If that is what you wish for us."

"But what if I don't wish that? What then?"

He rubs the back of his neck. "Then, I'll be whatever you want me to be. That's the point of the imprint, to be what the imprintee needs."

Biting my lip, I bring my knees up and rest my chin on them. "So, if I want more than friends, like a relationship, we'll have one?"

Jake leans forward and places his hand on top of mine. He begins stroking it gently. "Bells, we'll have one whenever you're ready for one. I'm not gonna push you into one when I know how you still feel about _him_."

"Then, I think it's time you know something." Taking my hand from his, I replace it on top of his and squeeze hard. Jake tenses slightly. "I'm not going to sugarcoat it. That nightmare last night, it was horrible Jake. You died because of a vampire that's after me. When you died in front of my eyes, I felt a pain so unbearable, I thought I was going to die just seeing that. It felt so real, Jake. It opened my eyes. It showed me just how much I care for you and how stupid I've been. Because of Edward, my heart wouldn't give me the person I was meant to have. It chose the first person who showed they cared for me before it even gave you a chance. And Edward being who he is, with his vampire abilities, drew me in even more as if I was an addict. After he left, you were the person helping me recover from a bad drug.

"Jake," I say his name tenderly as I place my hand on his cheek, "I love you and want a relationship with you. That is, if you'll still have me."

Jake places his hand on top of my own. "Of course I'll have you," he replies as he brings mine and his hand down from his face. Leaving my hand behind, he brings his this time to my face. He moves my hair behind my ear and cups my cheek. "And I love you, too, so much" Jake breaths out while leaning in. My eyes flutter shut in anticipation.

"Bells! I'm home! Is Jake here, too? That's his bike, right?" My eyes snap open at the sound of Charlie's voice. Jake and I were inches apart. I blush a deep shade of red while Jake scoots away.

"Yes, Jake's here! He's helping me with my writing assignment," I call out. Curse Charlie for coming right home. I reach over to my bedside table and grab my notebook. I shove it at Jake when I hear the creak of the stairs. Jake had a pen ready in his hands. "Quickly write, 'Education is a crucial key for success in a person's life. Education is knowledge that a person is taught both in and outside of school.'" He scribbles quickly as I power up my laptop and open a few documents.

Jake is finishing the last word when my bedroom door opens. He stops and looks up. "Hey Charlie. How was work?" Jake questions.

Charlie leans against my door frame. "It was good. Nothing major happened today. How's the homework coming along, Bells?"

I smile up at Charlie. "So far so good. I've got all my notes and other assignments ready to put into the final paper. I-"

Jake cuts me off, "It will eventually turn into a final paper if she can make up her mind, Charlie." He throw his thumb to his shoulder to point behind him. There were crumbled up papers lay on the bed and floor. Internally, my mouth is open in shock while on the outside I just blush and duck my head. _When did he find the time to crumble those papers?_

Charlie chuckles. "Typical, Bella," he states with the shake of his head. "Alright, I'll let you kids get back to work. I think I'm just going to order pizza tonight, that okay with you guys?"

"Is it ever! Pizza is my favorite, Charlie," Jake smiles.

I roll my eyes. "Make sure to order two pizzas, dad."

"Will do."

I watch Charlie leave my room. Once I hear the creaking of the stairs, I let out a soft sigh and close my laptop. "That was close," I mumble.

"Would it have been that bad kissing me?" Jake questions.

My eyes snap up to meet his. Oh, God, I hope I didn't offend him. Instead, I find a smirking Jake. I shove his shoulder and he lets out a laugh. "Hey, I gotta mess with you somehow."

"Jerk." I stick my tongue out at him. This causes him to laugh harder.

* * *

After Jake ate a whole pizza himself and I had two slices, we were back in my room under the pretense of writing my paper. What Charlie doesn't know is that I've actually already finished it a couple days ago. But I'll make sure to keep that to myself. Jake picks up the crumbled pieces of paper and places them in my trashcan.

Leaning back against my headboard, I watch him. "By the way, when did you manage to get those around the room?"

He makes his way back to my bed and joins me. "It didn't take long. Don't forget, I am faster than the average human. I did that and then right into writing. Which I'm sure isn't even what you told me to write. It's all gibberish. I mean, face it, my handwriting is shit. It's not like Charlie would attempt to read it anyway."

"Ahh, makes sense. Smart move."

Jake slides down on the bed a bit. His arms moves behind his head and he leans back onto my pillow. He lets out a soft yawn and runs his fingers through his hair. "You know, I don't bite," he motions to the space between us.

I giggle. "I know, I'm just waiting for you to get comfortable first."

"Well, I'm comfortable," he states and holds his arms open.

With a slight blush, I move closer to him. Jake closes his arms around me when I'm pressed up against him. I lay my head against his chest and let out a content sigh. His heartbeat beats loudly under my ear. It's the most refreshing sound I've ever heard. And he's so warm, I don't need to have multiple blankets between us. I don't think Edward and I could ever be like this unless I became like him. To think I've thought about that before. Now, it seems like such an outrageous thought. I cannot imagine becoming one anymore. It's also repulsive. I shiver which causes Jake to pull me closer to him.

* * *

"Didn't Sam say you'd be running patrols to keep an eye on me?" I question after a bit.

Jacob smiles. "I think being with you right now is as safe as you're gonna get. I'm sure he'll agree and end up having regular patrols around La Push and Forks," he answers while running his fingers up and down my arm.

"Hmm, I guess. But I hate that you guys are going to go to all this trouble."

"Bells, you're my imprintee. Everyone is going to protect you. It's what we do, just as Sam said."

I nod against Jake's chest. "Okay, but it doesn't mean I'm going to like it. You guys aren't going to be getting enough sleep."

"Pssh, it's not a big deal. We've done it before and we'll do it again."

I groan in frustration. He just doesn't understand. "But I don't want you and the pack to be sleep deprived! It can mess with your senses. I don't want it to be a reason why you're too slow and end up getting hurt," I argue.

"You think we'll lose focus?" He inquires.

"If you're sleep deprived, of course there's that possibility you'll lose focus. I'll never be able to forgive myself if someone from the pack got hurt. I will feel even worse if my boyfriend gets hurt."

I feel Jake shift and I look over to see him gazing intently at me. "Boyfriend, huh?"

I smirk and sit up on my elbow. My face is leaning over Jake's. "Well, we are in a relationship, aren't we?"

Jake's adam's apple moves up and down as he swallows then answers, "Yes, we are."

"Then I'm your girlfriend and you're my boyfriend. And do you know what that means?"

His mouth opens and closes once before finally asking, "What?"

"I'll show you," I utter. With my heart racing, I lean forward slightly. Jake's hand slides onto my waist and around onto the center of my back. My eyes flutter shut as his breath brushes over my face. I breathe in softly, filling my nostrils with Jake's musk. _Pine trees and rain._

Jake closes the rest of the distance between us by pressing his lips against mine. As my head tilts a little, our lips begin moving in sync. Jake moans softly, causing the vibrations to tickle my lips. My mouth parts slightly from the sensation.

That's all he needed.

His tongue makes his way into my mouth and I hum in pleasure. My heart is about to beat out of my chest when I feel his tongue graze mine. _Oh God_. Before I know it, our tongues are fighting each other for dominance. I press further up against Jake and throw my leg over his hip. My hand that's in the cast, rests against his chest. My fingertips can feel his frantic heartbeat through his shirt.

My breath becomes ragged when Jake's hand roams down my back and brushes my butt. My fingers slowly bunch his shirt up in my grip as he continues running his hand up and down. Desire ignites within me and this time I moan into his mouth.

Jake uses both of his hands to grip my waist and lifts me over him, so I'm straddling him. Our kisses grow more urgent and the world around me disappears, only to come back after a moment when I feel Jake shift beneath me. Without thinking, my hips start moving of their own accord. A gasp escapes when I feel a pressure against me, but it's quickly muted by a groan from Jake.

I feel Jake's hand gently push against my shoulder. As our lips reluctantly pull apart, a gentle breeze wafts over me, causing me to shiver from goosebumps. I slide off and sit next to him while he pushes himself into a sitting position. Panting, I lean my forehead against Jake's. "Wow," I breath out.

He nods as well. "Wow, indeed."

Edward could never kiss me like this. He was so afraid he'd end up hurting me. It was so heated and filled with passion. I blush as I think about the possible discomfort Jake must be in. "I'm sorry," I whisper with a half chuckle.

"Why are you sorry?" He asks while cocking an eyebrow with a smirk.

My blush deepens. "For, uh, you know," My eyes dart around the room looking anywhere but him as I motion to his lap, "that."

Jake lets out a hearty laugh. "Oh, honey, you have no reason to be sorry for this. This," he states grabbing my hand and placing it on his crotch, "shows just how much you affect me."

If I could blush any more than I am right now, I would. I know for sure when kissing Edward, it was never like that. And he never got affected like Jake did. Maybe that means Edward wasn't as attracted to me as he said he was. He didn't love me for me, did he? It was my blood that sang to him, wasn't it? I guess I'll never know, but that is what I'll have to assume.

I glance up at Jake through my lashes as my hand falls back to my side. "Do you need to take care of your little problem? I can guard the bathroom for you."

A gasp comes from Jake and his hand caresses my cheek before lifting it. "My God, woman, please don't look at me like that. You don't understand what you're doing to me. And as for my problem, there isn't anything _little_ about it. You felt it yourself. Don't worry, it'll be gone in just a moment. Just have to think of something disgusting," he pauses, "there. All gone." He winks.


	10. Update

I haven't abondoned you guys! I swear!

Since I'm out for the summer and I'm trying for a management position at work, I've been getting crazy hours! I'm averaging 46 hours a week so I don't have much time to sit and relax or write. I have a couple days off coming up so I plan on getting some writing done. Hang in there a little longer!

Much love,

KarleighAnn


	11. I am still here

Guys I am in a really bad place right now. I swear I haven't intentionallyleft for no reason. When I'm ready and able to talk about it, I will update within the next week/week and a half. Please, please bear with me.

-KarleighAnn


	12. I Promised I Would Explain

It's been longer than what I had said, but this last month has been the hardest for me. Well, more like this last half a year has been pretty hard. It all started with hurting my hand. That definitely threw me for a loop. I hadn't planned for that and there I was trying to work, go to school, and write. As soon as I was healing and going places in work, my dads fiancé passed away. Being there for my dad was my number one priority. I knew just how much he loved her. I needed to be his rock.

After coming back, I was settling back into work and school. I admit, I had a couple months where I could have been writing, but I was in a funk. I knew what I wanted to write, but I just didn't have the will to write it. Began to have some health problems. Come to find out, my boyfriend and I had a miscarriage. We had no clue. There were no signs. Just gone. Trying to go on with life as normal, we went on vacation with some friends to relieve some stress.

Finally starting to get back to normal life, as normal as it could be, I finally let some of my family know about the miscarriage and was fighting a war with myself on whether or not to tell my dad. I make up my mind and decide I was gonna call him on my next day off to talk to him. Before I can even get my day off, I get the dreaded phone call. My dad passed away. I was at work when I found out and lost it. That day is still a blur to me. I still don't know how I got myself home or how long I sat staring at the wall before finally getting my plane tickets. I was so numb and confused. I had no clue what was happening and why it was happening. But finally I was home with sisters. It took us a week to be able to bury our dad because they wanted an autopsy. After almost three weeks home with my family and taking care of as much as I could, I was back home. I'm taking the semester off but I'm still working full time.

It's now been a little over a month since my dad's death and I'm still not over it. I don't know if I ever will be. I have dreams with my dad in them constantly that wake me up and make me not want to close my eyes again because I'm so upset he's not really here. I'm trying to go back to my everyday life, but it is so hard since I'm not talking to him everyday through text or a phone call.

I'm working on getting back into writing and drawing to help me cope. Hopefully it will help me, but if my content isn't the same because it's been a little while and I'm probably rusty, bare with me and give me some time. It will get back to where it is supposed to be after writing for a bit more.

I appreciate every single one of you.

Much Love,

KarleighAnn


	13. Sneak Peak!

You guys have been amazing. Thank you all for your kind words and waiting for me. Giving myself some time has definitely helped a lot. I've slowly started to write again on my days off, but due to conflicting schedules, my Beta and I haven't been able to get together to edit things. So, until we can get the chapters edited, I won't be posting them. However, I'd like to do something for you all. Below is a sneak peak of the unedited versions of the newest chapter.

Please enjoy them as my thanks to you all.

Also feel free to review with what you think is going to happen in this chapter, what you'd like to see in future chapters, etc. It would be awesome to hear this stuff and see what you all think!

With Love,

KarleighAnn

 **!~*~*~*~*~*~*~!**

 **Chapter. 9**

The oversized posters in my face tell me that prom is right around the corner. I roll my eyes at the thought. Edward took me last year after the Phoenix incident. Even after we went together I didn't enjoy it. Prom never interested me. All that dancing, sweaty bodies, and the dresses. Ugh, definitely not me.

Closing my locker, I pick my backpack off the ground and head for the parking lot. Thank goodness the day is over. Sighing, I push the doors open and halt in my tracks. My breath whooshes out and a smile creeps onto my face.

Jacob is leaning against his motorcycle staring in the direction of the woods. People are gawking and whispering to one another as he catches their attention. When I take a step forward, his head turns in my direction.

A hush falls over my classmates when I reach Jacob. He steps away from his bike and wraps his arms around my waist to lift me into a kiss. Ignoring the crowd behind us, I greedily kiss him back. This starts a new round of whispering and giggling.

I pull back reluctantly and smile. "Watcha doing here?"

"I came to pick my girlfriend up. Everyone's hanging at Sam's place. They are already asking for you."

"Perfect. Just let me follow behind you-" I stop once I realize my truck is missing from its spot.

A helmet is lowered onto my head. "Had enough time to Hotwire your truck and take it back to my place. C'mon you're riding with me," Jake says as he slides his arm around my waist.

"You sly dog," I joke while sticking my tongue out at him once I face him.

I squeal as he lifts me up and places me on his bike. A quiet giggle escapes me once I'm seated and he mounts himself in front of me. I wrap my arms around his waist as he starts the bike up. Before we peel out of the parking lot, I happen to catch the shocked face of Mike Newton as he points at us while punching Tyler in the arm.


End file.
